Freedom
by victoria92179
Summary: What would happen if Zack didn't die. Where will he go? How will he survive, and what will happen to Cloud? Couples are Cloud X Tifa and Zack X Aerith. Includes hints of Cloud X Aerith. Please Review!
1. Abandonment

**A/N:** This is my first serious fanfic. This is a Clerith, Zerith, and Cloti fic. This takes place in Crisis Core. It shows what would have happened if Zack hadn't decided to tell the guy driving the truck to pull over so he could fight the entire army. This will be told through several view points. Oh, and I have a beta reader now, chibipinkbunny, so you can expect to see better spelling and grammar. _This_ means thought and this means writing. Now, on to the story!!

But first, Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story are mine; they all belong to Square Enix.

**Chapter 1:** Abandonment

(Revised 5-11-10)

Two dust-covered friends rode in the back of a yellow pick-up truck. One of them had hair that was as black as a raven's feathers, while the other man had light blond hair that looked like a chocobo's rear end; they were named Zack and Cloud respectively. The latter had a case of Mako poisoning and was in a deplorable semi-conscious state.

They were on their way to Midgar, where Zack's girlfriend lived. He desperately missed her and hoped that she was still waiting for him. Zack was thinking of ideas about what they would do when they got to Midgar and he quickly relayed his thoughts to his friend. He wasn't sure whether the blond man could hear him, but he needed someone to talk to or he would go insane.

"Of course!" He said as he pumped his fist in the air. "I got a lot of brains and skill that other guys don't!" He looked over at Cloud. "That settles it!" He puffed his chest out and paused for dramatic effect. "I'm gonna become a mercenary!" He leaned a little closer to Cloud. "So, Cloud? What are YOU gonna do?"

"u... uhhh......" was Cloud's response. Zack couldn't help but smile a little as Cloud's head lolled to the side.

"Just kidding... I wouldn't leave you hanging like that," he said as he fixed Cloud's head so that he was looking at him.

"We're friends right?" he asked. The silence was all he needed to hear. He broke out into one of his famous puppy-dog smiles. He shook his head and then stood up and turned around to rest his left arm on the cab of the truck.

"Hey pops are we there yet?" he asked. He was lazily watching the big desert rocks pass by and the blue sky stretch overhead. Then there was the sound of a gun shot. There was only a second to react. Zack's eyes glimpsed a flash of light on metal. It was a ShinRa brand helicopter. He saw the pilots inside the helicopter. Zack knew that the pilots weren't aiming for him. After all, he was Zack Fair ex-SOLDIER 1st class, and could easily defend himself. Instead they were aiming for his comatose friend, who couldn't even move. He whirled around and grabbed Cloud's head. He just managed to pull it out of the way just as the bullet whizzed past.

**Zack PoV**

There wasn't a second to waste. Thinking as fast as I could, I picked Cloud up and knocked on the back window of the truck. The driver inside turned around and opened it up. I slipped Cloud in through the window and he landed directly onto the front seat.

"I'm sorry, Cloud," was all I said before I closed the window and turned towards the offending helicopter. It was behind the truck now, so I should be able to fight it without harming the truck or its passengers. I pulled out a fire materia and focused all of my energy into casting it. My arm glowed orange and a fiery aura surrounded it.

I smirked "Guess it's time for a final showdown, huh?" I shot a fireball at the helicopter causing it to fall out of the sky and crash. But that one was quickly replaced with two more. I could also see several military trucks coming my way.

_This is going to be harder than I thought._ The pick-up truck limited the space I had to move around in, so I was an easy target. I couldn't just stay stationary and throw magic at them. I glanced at my DMW watch, which said that I was low on MP and then I took one last look over my shoulder at the form sitting in the front seat of the car, his spiky hair was just visible through the tinted glass of the window.

"Goodbye spiky," I whispered quietly, "and good luck." Those where my final words to him before they left. I jumped off the truck and then used a boost materia to lunge straight at a helicopter. The buster sword sliced through it as though it was butter. I landed on both of my feet and the helicopter landed in front of me. It exploded in a flurry of flames. I turned around and looked longingly at the yellow truck that was slowly disappearing into the distance. I glanced behind me to see that the military trucks were almost to the spot where I stood. I prepared myself for the fight of my life. _This is it! _I thought.

"Bring it on!" I shouted as I lunged at the nearest truck.

**Cloud PoV **

I opened my eyes and everything was in various shades of green and black. I could see perfectly clear, but the mako distorted all the colors. It was like waking up from a coma only I knew that I had only been sleeping for a few hours. My memory was a little fuzzy for a while because I had just woken up, but soon I was able to recall all that had happened within the last year. I couldn't stop my body from involuntarily shivering at the mere thought of Hojo and his horrific lab. I was glad that Zack and I were able to escape, even if it meant that I would have to suffer this accursed condition. I noticed that there seemed to be something that was absent from my surroundings: something that was always there before. Without it I felt strangely empty, like all the warmth had been sucked out of me.

I was in a truck now, moving, moving fast. Beside me was a big burly figure. He must be driving the truck. But where was Zack?

"Z-Z-Zack?" I just barely whispered, my faint voice tinged with fear. The driver looked over to me. "Sorry," he said, "your friend Zack isn't here." Then he turned his attention back to the road. I was surprised, even though I knew I shouldn't be. _Zack has abandoned me! _I thought. _Well, I guess I wouldn't blame him, I'm just dead weight. I'm no use to him. _But for some reason I couldn't believe it. That Zack would just abandon me like that. So, I decided to ask the truck driver.

"A-a-abandon?" I said trying to get it all out at once. The burly man reached over and ruffled my hair before putting his hand back on the steering wheel.

"No, I won't abandon ya," The truck driver answered. He apparently misunderstood me so, I took a deep, painful, breath and tried again.

"Zack a-abandon?" I struggled to say. The driver looked over at me again. This time he had a sad look in his eyes.

"No, your friend didn't abandon you. He had to fight off our pursuers so that I can get you to safety." He paused, then sighed, "not sure what I'm gonna do with you though." He turned to the road and stared at it for a few minutes, thinking.

"I know, I'll take you to that one girl's house! She used to know me, and she was Zack's girlfriend a long time ago. That was way back when I had my materia shop though and I'm not sure if she's still there." He looked pleased with himself. "But, if she is, I'll take you there. I'm pretty sure she'll take good care of you"

**Chapter 1:** End

**A/N: **Chapter 1 is finally revised! I think it sounds a lot better now. This story is much longer now but, it's still pretty short x.x. I finally got done with Chapter 9 and I should be posting it soon! I also like positive reviews or reviews telling me what parts of the story don't sound right. Because, 'how am I going to correct my mistakes if I don't know what I did wrong?' Anyway, my grammar is much better now, right? I will try to update soon. This story is inspired by **Chibipinkbunny's **_**In the Shadow of Freedom**_ and **Jediempress' **_**End of Heartache**_Fanfics.


	2. Restoration

**A/N: **Welcome to chapter two of Freedom! This chapter is longer than the first one. The truck driver is my OC and he will only be here to transport Cloud. This story might end up going over 4 chapters. Again this story switches PoV's and _this_ means thought and this means writing. Now, that's enough of the author's note, time for the story!

Disclaimer: All characters besides the truck driver are Square Enix's

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**Chapter 2:** Restoration

**Cloud PoV **

I awoke to find that I was still in the truck, but the scenery had changed significantly. There were metal buildings everywhere and where the sky should have been there was a giant plate. I could only see in black and green but I guessed that the plate was a dull gray. _I must be in the slums_ I thought. I felt the gentle rumble of the truck lulling me back to sleep but, I was determined to stay awake long enough to see where we were going.

It wasn't long until I heard the car come to a stop and the engine cut off. Then I heard the truck door slam as the driver got out. He went to the other side of the truck and opened the door. I felt myself falling backwards, but the driver caught me. He dragged me out of the truck and threw me over his shoulder. I couldn't hear what he said next but, he sounded sad. I couldn't see where I was going. All I could see was the ground beneath me.

Suddenly the older man stopped and took me off his shoulder. He placed me horizontally on some kind of porch. Now that I could see the building, it looked ancient. It was some sort of church. I was parallel with the door, just sitting there on the concrete, my head propped up against the concrete railing. Then used the metal knocker on the big oaken door and ran away. _I wonder why he did that. _I asked myself.

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**Aerith PoV **

I kneeled beside my flowers, tending them as usual. Just as I was about to give them some water, there was a knock on the door. _I wonder who that could be._ I put the watering can down, got up and walked to the door. When I got finally got the huge door open I was shocked at what I saw. It was a grown man lying on my doorstep as if he was an orphaned baby. I kneeled beside him and looked into his eyes, my own were filled with concern. I gasped when I saw that his eyes were mako blue.

"Just like his…" I whispered under my breath. Then I looked at his hair, yellow and spiky all around. If he was ok, I would have laughed and called him a chocobo. But I knew he wasn't because his eyes told me. They had look of pain and sadness to them which I had never seen before. They were scanning me for some sign of comfort, some reason that he had to trust me. So, I put the sweetest smile I could manage.

"Are you hurt?" I asked. Nothing. So, I tried another question

"Can you talk?" Again he said nothing. His eyes were looking sadly at the ground though. I took that as a 'no'

"Can you at least walk?" I asked my last question because I knew I needed to get him inside. His eyes answered for him again and I understood. I got up and struggled to lift him up. It took a while, but I managed to drag the SOLDIER inside. I laid him on the bench nearest to the flowers. First thing I did was take his temperature. I felt his forehead. He felt warm, but not feverish. Then I checked his limbs and upper torso for wounds. I didn't find any. Then I gave him some water from the bottle that I always took with me. After that he said one tiny word that made up my mind once and for all.

"Z-Zack?" He uttered weakly. I was shocked; _this guy was one of Zack's friends!? I thought Zack was long gone._ After days of waiting for him I had almost given up hope that someday he would walk through those doors, tears streaming down is eye, yelling 'Aerith I love you!'

"Where is he?" I said urgently leaning over the blonde "Is he ok? Is he hurt? Does he remember me?" Surely if he can say Zack's name, he can answer my questions. But he was already asleep. He looked so peaceful while he was sleeping. I couldn't help it; I reached up and ruffled his hair. A tiny smile spread across his lips. I smiled too.

Once I was sure he was comfortable I turned back to my flowers. _I can't believe it_ I thought _Zack's alive._My hands absentmindedly weeded the flowers while I thought. Suddenly they came together in a prayer. "Hope Zack find's his way back here" I whispered to the great gods that dwell within the lifestream.

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**Tseng PoV**

I just received conformation from the other Turks that the blond specimen was located in Aerith's church in the slums but there was no sign of Zack. I knew that Zack wouldn't hesitate to come here to see his girlfriend, yet he hasn't come. _He might avoid Aerith's church because he knew Turks were there._ But, as far as I knew, Zack escaped with the blond one. _Then why would he just leave his friend._ I knew that wasn't a very Zack-like thing to do. _There must be a reason..._ It just didn't add up. I took a folded piece of paper out of my paper and unfolded it

Dear Zack, It read

How are you? Any luck on you're mission? I hope you would be able to come see me soon, I miss you. The wheel broke off my flower wagon and I need you to come fix it. Tseng has offered to fix it for me. But I refused, saying that I would rather wait for you. Oh, and the flowers are selling well. The people of the slums seem happy now. I often see little kids running around the slums holding my flowers. It makes me so happy! The angeal clone is doing fine too. He often helps me out. Anyway, I'll see you soon! 

Love,

Aerith

I looked up from the paper. This was Aerith's first letter, which she sent to Zack just after he went to Nibelhiem. I had just folded his paper up and put it back in his pocket when I heard Cissnei's voice through the communicator.

"Tseng, Tseng come in" she said. I picked up my communicator and put it in my ear. "What is it Cissnei?" I asked.

"Zack has just been spotted near Kalm. He is in really bad shape and he has a bad wound on his right shoulder" I didn't know weather to be happy that we found him, or worried that he is hurt. I knew that the Turks weren't allowed to interfere with the people they were tracking and that whatever happens, happens for a reason. I decided to have Cissnei come pick me up in her helicopter and take me to the site where Zack was spotted. We will do as we are supposed to, track without interfering.

"Ok, I'll meet you in sector 7" I said as I turned off my communicator not allowing for anymore conversation. I took one more look at Aerith's church and then started off in the direction of Sector 7.

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**Cloud PoV **

The mysterious girl, whose name I later found out was Aerith, took care of me from that day on. In the mornings, she would take me to her church. Then when the sun set, she would take me to her house. She was always prepared. She always brought some water with her in case I get thirsty. She made sure to buy a thermometer so she could regularly take my temperature. And she had a small cooler that she kept near the bench. It contained washcloths which were used whenever I got a fever.

She also bought a pillow and blanket from home for me to lie on and watch her tend her flowers. She regularly talked to me. She told me about Zack. She told me about their first meeting, the time he got his wallet stolen, the building of the flower wagon, and their last goodbye. She said I was good at listening because I never interrupted and then she smiled at me and picked me up and took me to her house.

The first night she left me alone in her church while she went and told her mother about me. I didn't like that very much. I moaned all night until morning, when she would come. She got the message that I don't like to be alone and promised to stay with me until I was cured of my sickness. Weeks went by. Until one day I was running a particularly high fever, and someone I had been longing to see came for a visit.

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**A/N: **Next up will be a Zack PoV. But I will be gone for Christmas so I will not be making the next chapter until after Christmas. This story is really fun to type though. Please review. Even if I won't be here, I'll check my reviews when I get back.


	3. Breaking

**A/N: **I can't believe this story has made it to chapter 3. I'm so happy! Thanks to everyone who has commented, especially you **Chibipinkbunny **without your compliments, advice, and grammar corrections I would have never been able to make it this far. Anyway, don't forget, this story is in PoV (point of view) format and _this_ means thought and this means writing. Now, let's get on with the story.

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**Chapter 3: **Breaking

**Zack PoV**

I was stumbling through the sand and dirt of this fallow wasteland. My left hand was clutching a wound on my right shoulder. One of the infantrymen I had fought managed to knock off my shoulder guard and shortly after that, while I was distracted another one of them had stabbed me in my exposed shoulder. The wound would have killed me if I were not SOLDIER 1st class. But it did slow me down a little bit. I had managed to hide in a cave nearby for a few days. I had figured that I was closer to Kalm than Midgar and even though I really wanted to see Aerith, I couldn't. It was just too dangerous. The army was after me and chances are the Turks are still watching her church. My vision was blurred a little and I felt a little weak. _This is too much even for a SOLDIER _I thought. I looked up at the sky. It always reminded me of Aerith. She said she's scared of the sky but, if she could only see it she would love it. It's so bright and blue with little clouds drifting across it like little boats on an ocean. _I wonder if Cloud is safe _I hoped he was. I didn't like the idea of leaving my friend with a stranger but, I had to distract the army so Cloud could escape. I could imagine all sorts of bad things happening to my comatose blond friend, but then I mentally scolded myself for thinking so negatively. I continued to stumble through the dirt.

Then I looked back up at the sky and saw something that wasn't there before, a helicopter. Using my SOLDIER sight I saw just who the helicopter contained. Tseng was driving and then the one that most disturbed me was the co pilot, Cissnei. She had promised me that she would not alert the Turks. Yet, here she was with one of her Turk buddies. I doubted Tseng would show any mercy, even though he used to know me. He was a Turk and it was his job to dispose of the renegade experiments. _I wonder if he had gotten to Cloud yet _Just the thought of Cloud being sent back to Hojo's lab sickened me. I would never forgive myself if that happened to him. _I had to hide somewhere, but where. _Then, suddenly I saw a town appear through all the sand blowing in the open air.

"That must be Kalm" I whispered to myself weakly. I really needed to get something to wrap my wound in. Then I had an idea. I sat down on the dusty ground and began removing my shirt. First I took off my SOLDIER equipment, such as my remaining shoulder guard. And then I took my shirt off and pressed it against my wound. That eased the pain a little, at least enough to keep going. I looked to the sky again and saw that the helicopter was still there. Then I got up and started walking. I walked for quite a while, until I was at the front gate of Kalm, then a wave of nausea swept over me. My knees gave way and I collapsed right onto the blue mural that was Kalm's main square. A bunch of people came over and crowded around me, but all I saw were a mass of blurred feet. Then I blacked out.

I awoke to find myself on a bed in the Kalm inn. There where about a half a dozen faces staring down at me. Their faces were a mix of concern about whether I was ok and happiness that I was awake. I heard them whispering to each other. Then I noticed that most of the pain that emanated from my shoulder was gone. It still hurt a little, but not much. I looked to my left and saw that my shoulder was neatly bandaged. I also noted that I had my shirt on again. Then I heard a feminine voice say "Oh, he's awake".

A young girl about twenty to twenty-five years old came up to me and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Are you ok" she asked. I guessed that she was the one that bandaged up my shoulder. I gingerly sat up in the bed, careful not to aggravate my wound.

"Yes I'm fine" I said. Then I heard her sigh.

"For a moment I thought you wouldn't pull through" She said her sad frown was replaced with a grateful smile. Then somebody tapped her on the shoulder.

"Angel, Isn't he with SOLDIER" one man pointed out. "Aren't they dangerous?"

"Yes, I agree that they are" she turned to the man "but, this one isn't doing any harm is he?"

I lifted myself off of the bed and turned to the woman whom I assumed was named Angel. "Thank you for your help, but I must be going" I knew the Turks were still after me and the army too. I knew without a doubt that the army wouldn't hesitate to ransack a whole town just to find a renegade SOLDIER 1st class experiment. I had witnessed what the Turks could do when I was on his mission in Banora and I was determined not to let that happen to this town.

"Do you have to leave now?" she asked "your wound is not fully healed"

"I'll be ok" I replied "now where is the nearest store?"

"Down the stairs, out the door, and to your left" she replied.

"Thanks" I said taking one look at the townspeople that surrounded him and then heading down the stairs.

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**Aerith PoV**

It was the worst fever I had ever seen. It was 105.4 degrees. That temperature was usually enough to kill a man. He was SOLDIER he was able to withstand it. Suddenly a memory played in my mind as if I where watching it happen. Some harsh words I had said to Zack played _I think being normal is the greatest happiness. Somehow SOLDIERs seem weird. _I remember saying to Zack when we were at our date in the park, to which he replied _I see, weird huh? _And then I told him that I thought soldiers where scary because they fight a lot. But he reminded me just how normal a SOLDIER can be. A moan from the fevered SOLDIER sent me crashing back down to earth. I turned to face him and saw that his face was bright pink, and he was sweating. He was also panting heavily. I put a wet rag on his forehead like I usually did. But it didn't seem to do any good.

His immune system was making one final stand against whatever was plaguing it by burning it to the point that he might die. I didn't want to think that all the time and love I had put into caring for this comatose man was for nothing. That he would die anyway. It was just unbearable to think about it. So I pushed that thought away, far away into the back of my mind. Instead I turned to the man whom I had named Sky because of his eyes that glowed like the bright blue sky I used to be deathly afraid of. He hadn't told me his real name, all he had said was Zack's name, so I named him myself. Sky lay on the bench feet touching the very end. I was in a sitting position holding Sky's head in my lap. I stroked his blonde spiky hair, trying to calm him down. But the soothing touch of my hand had failed and instead Sky went rigged. I tried whispering reassuring words to him but, my voice had an uncertain tone to it which probably didn't help him at all. I looked up to the roof of the church and clasped my hands together in another prayer "I hope Sky makes it out of this okay" I said aloud. Then I turned to Sky who, it seems, had gotten worse. _He is going to need a miracle to get through this one._

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**Tifa PoV**

I had heard rumors. These rumors were from some rather drunk people though. So I wasn't sure how accurate they could be. Those men come in my bar all the time talking about the weather and the news and whatnot. Throughout my two years as a bartender I had learned to ignore it. But, this morning I had overheard a conversation that had perked my interest. Three men where sitting at the table nearest to the bar. They all looked rather old as if they were trying to drink the rest of their life away. They were all of different height and dressed in different attire.

The tallest man took a swig of his beer and then spoke. "Rumor has it there is a man living in the sector five slums with that one lady that owns the church… I forgot her name." He put two fingers on his forehead as if trying to remember.

The man that was of about middle height then answered his comrade. "Yes, I remember hearing about that. Rumor also has it that the man is totally unable to take care of himself." I was totally uninterested at that time, as I was preoccupied polishing my set of beer glasses. It was what the shortest man said that caught my attention.

"Yes, I know the rumors" he said "as a matter of fact I've seen him myself" He had this proud gleam in his eye as his friends spurred him on asking what the man looked like. "I'll tell you what he looked like" He replied as his drunken friends leaned in closer to hear him "The first thing that caught my attention was the eyes, Beautiful bright blue. The kind you only see in SOLDIER." The mention of SOLDIER did make me slightly interested. So, I kept one ear open, even though I don't like gossip and rumors and all that nonsense that probably wasn't true to begin with and where probably only started for some stupid, idiotic reason like revenge or just to mess with people. But, I still listened in as the old short man continued. "Then his hair was what I noticed next. It was a bright blond and spiked all around" and that was what finally caught my full attention, the word 'spiked'. The description matched perfectly, SOLDIER eyes and blonde spiky hair. _Could it be_ I thought _Could it really be him? _At the mere thought of Cloud being so close and being unable to do something as basic as take care of himself was unbearable.

I dropped the glass I was holding and watched as it shattered into a million pieces near my feet. The loud noise had attracted the attention of nearly every person in the bar. I watched as a dozen eyes stared at me, including the eyes of the three men who where just conversing. Realizing that I had to pull things together I forcefully made my lips into an embarrassed smile. "Oops" was all that I had to say before the bar went back to its usual hustle and bustle. I got a broom and swept up the shards of glass then dumped them in the trash. All the while my head was swimming with questions. _Could it really be Cloud? I don't know anybody else with blond spiky hair. It could be another person altogether. _I just didn't know. It was then that I decided to go to Sector 5 and see for myself. I listened to the conversation a little bit more to see what else I could find out. And I learned that not only was Cloud, or the person I assumed was Cloud, unable to take care of himself, but he couldn't move altogether. The thought of that made me sick to my stomach and I didn't have the heart to listen anymore. Gaia knows what else has happened to him.

After my shift I told Barret that I was going to the store, he gave his usual grunt that meant that he had heard me. Wedge was more enthusiastic though and asked if he could come with me to pick out stuff for tonight's dinner. I denied his request and he nodded and went back down to the secret place that was always kept well-hidden in the bar by an ordinary looking pinball machine. With a heavy sigh I started out the door. The walk to sector five wasn't long and it certainly wasn't boring, considering sector six was full of monsters. I was grateful when I finally got to sector five. I smiled to myself. _The things I do for you Cloud… _I thought to myself jokingly, glad to have taken those martial arts lessons back when Nibelhiem was still standing. It seemed that while I was thinking, my feet got a mind of their own because before I knew it I was standing in front of the church, almost as if some unknown force had guided me there. It was an old worn out building with delicate stained glass windows that shone brightly against the dim gray of the walls. I walked up the ancient stone steps and paused at the door, unsure of weather to open it or not.

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**Aerith PoV**

The first thing I knew was that I needed to get some ice but, I was afraid to get up. If I did leave Sky all alone he would have no one to share his pain with and he would have to suffer all alone. I just couldn't bear to do that to the poor guy. So I sat there for a while, acting as Sky's support. Sky gave a sharp groan of disproval whenever I even tried to move. Even if it was just to shift positions, he would start moaning and groaning and wouldn't stop until I had settled myself into a better position and became still again. I could only imagine what it must be like for Sky. It must feel like you're in a giant oven that is slowly roasting you alive.

I clutched Sky tighter when I felt his muscles slightly tense again. I had made up my mind earlier to take him to the hospital, but he seemed against it. Once I had tried to stand up, but he dug his nails into the bench, a clear sign that he didn't want to go. Whatever reason he had must be a good one in order for him to possibly risk his life for it. I took the rag off of his forehead and poured some more water over it. Then I placed it back on his forehead. A little whimper of pain escaped his lips. It reminded me of a little puppy. This of course reminded me of Zack and the time he told me about Angeal's nickname for him, Zack the puppy. back then I had almost had a laughing fit. The nickname had fit him so perfectly back then. Even now, when a man I had taken care of for two weeks was suffering. I couldn't help but force a smile._ Zero percent attention span and as restless as a little puppy_ Zack said that that was exactly how Angeal had described him. I was interrupted from my thoughts when I heard the oaken door creak open.

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**Tifa PoV**

The interior of the church looked much more attractive than the outside. There were rows and rows of benches and a delicate chandelier hung from the ceiling. There where several beams going across the top of the church which were used to support it. But the most interesting thing in there, by far, was the brightly colored flowers that were usually never found in the slums. _How could flowers grow in the slums? _I thought. It was then that I noticed a women looking at me with wide emerald green eyes. Everything about her looked warm and welcoming, from her pink dress to the ribbon in her hair that was also pink, everything except the look of sadness that was on her lips. It didn't suit her; her face would look a whole lot better if it had a smile on it. She had to be frowning about something though.

I took one step closer. I was sure I looked frightened to her, scared out of my mind. I knew that I wasn't afraid of her. I knew I was afraid of who else I would find here. Suddenly a loud painful moan broke the silence between us and the brunette turned her attention to whoever it was that moaned. I knew I had to see for myself so; I forced myself to walk the rest of the way, until I got to the furthest bench on the left. I held my breath as I turned and it came out in the form of a gasp when I saw a fragile young man lying in the woman's lap. He had unmistakable blond spiky hair and bright blue eyes that where glazed over with pain.

"Cloud!" I cried unable to hold back my urge to hug him. As I did though, he let out a groan.

"Is that his name" the woman asked and when I nodded she said "I've been calling him Sky for two weeks now." She stroked the feverish man's hand with her own thoughtfully. "He's been doing well up to this point" She stated "or as well as a comatose man could do." at the word 'comatose' I began to freeze up, but that soon melted away when Cloud began to stir. I looked at him longingly wanting to kiss him, at least on the cheek. But I refrained due to the fact that he is in a confused state and probably cannot see much of what is happening. Instead I satisfied myself with caressing his cheek.

"By the way" I said after a few minutes. "I'm Cloud's childhood friend Tifa Lockheart" I held out my free hand so she could shake it.

"And I'm Aerith Gainsborough, a flower girl in these slums" she replied as she took my hand.

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**Cloud PoV**

I woke up and saw a familiar face looming over me. My vision was blurred and still green and black but, I'd recognize that face anywhere. Her soft black hair and sweet brown doe-like eyes. Her scent always reminded me of home, even though it was no more. I imagined playing with Tifa in front of her house. Playing tag and hide-and-go-seek and kids games like that. Oh gaia, how I missed those days, the days when I had Tifa all to myself, the days when we didn't have to worry about anything.

Then she spoke her honey sweet words to me. Although they were muffled a little I could make them out. They were words of comfort and reassurance. Even though I was battling the flames that threatened to consume me, to swallow me whole, it was good to know somebody cares about me. Tifa was the reason I didn't give up and die long ago, the reason I kept fighting. A single tear rolled down my cheek. It represented all my troubles and sorrows, all the pain and suffering I had gone through, all the friends I have lost and the sadness I have felt. I saw Tifa's blurry figure reach a hand up to a place just under my eye and wipe my tear away. It was almost as if she was wiping away my fears and sorrows along with that tear. That made me try even harder to fight the flames that licked at me from the inside. And for the first time since I've been in this terrible state, I smiled.

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**A/N: **This is by far one of the longest and most detailed chapters I have ever done. Sorry if something didn't make sense. I was kinda distracted by the T.V. during the Zack chapter because they were showing the Wizard of Oz. Then after the first Aerith Point of View I watched a couple of episodes of the Twilight Zone (which might have influenced the Tifa PoV scene. I also spent a good hour or two playing Jak 2 and reading a little fanfiction. Now here it is almost 4:00 in the morning and I have to get this chapter finished before I go to bed. Next up is the scene where they help Cloud with his fever. Please review! Everyone who does gets a free cookie. I will update soon so, until then, see ya!


	4. Hoping

**A/N:** Here is Chapter 4. Again I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my work. Thank you very much. Anyway, in this story Tifa and Aerith try to cure Clouds fever. This chapter might not be as detailed as the last one was though. There is also a song in this one, which I will mention in the credits. Also, don't forget, this story is in PoV (point of view) format and _this_ means thought, this means writing, and _this_ means singing. Now, time for Chapter 4!

**Disclaimer:** all characters in this story belong to Square Enix

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**Chapter 4:** Hoping

**Aerith PoV**

So, his name was Cloud. I liked the sound of that, it's easy to say and it fits him perfectly. I gazed at the young girl that was looking so lovingly at Cloud. It didn't last very long though. Cloud moaned loudly, a signal that he was uncomfortable. Tifa tuned to me.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked, concern filling her hazel eyes. I looked away for a minute, afraid to tell her. Then I turned back, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"He has a really high fever" I managed to choke out. I saw tears welling up in her eyes, but I decided to continue. "His temperature was 105.4, last time I checked. I tried to take him to the hospital but, he wouldn't let me. I need to get him some ice but, I'm afraid to get up." By this time tear were streaming down my eyes as well "Sk… I mean Cloud needs somebody to use as a support. I'm also afraid that if his fever goes up any higher it might be lethal."

She looked at my eyes very carefully and then nodded. Blinking away the tears, she stood up and looked to Cloud and then back to me. "I'll do it for you" she said.

"Here take my pocketbook" I said reaching into a pocket in my dress. I pulled out a little pink wallet and threw it to her. "There's not much but, it'll get you what you need. First of all, go to the marketplace and talk to the materia shop owner. Tell him Aerith sent you; he always gives me a special discount on materia. Get some blizzard materia from him and then go to my house. You can't miss it; it's the only one that is covered in flowers.

"Go inside and tell my mom what just happened. She'll give you all the ice she has, Just dump them into the cart I'm going to give you" I paused to take a deep breath "You simply make more ice by filling up mom's ice trays with water and then casting blizzard on them. Pack about four to five in one bag (like a Ziploc bag) and put them in the cart." I looked over to Cloud who, now that I think about it, looked really skinny.

Tifa also looked down at Cloud. "Maybe we should feed him first" she said. I nodded and gestured over to the backpack that was sitting next to the cooler. She nodded back and hurried to the backpack. She took several things and put them on the floor including the thermometer and a thermos containing some warm milk. She looked like she was deciding between the pudding and the tomato soup. She finally chose the tomato soup and then walked back over to Cloud. She handed the container to me I took it and opened it. (It's a container like the cambells to-go cups of tomato soup) I took off the lid and then the seal. Then I replaced the lid.

"Can you hold his head up for me?" I asked. She nodded and put her hand on the back of his head. I carefully tipped the soup can so that the liquid drained into his mouth. I paused and tipped it back up. He coughed and spit up a little. Tifa went over to the backpack, got out a rag, and cleaned it up. Feeding him reminded me of feeding a baby. I giggled a little at the thought and I gave some more soup to Cloud. When I was done, I put the container of soup down on the floor. Then I started stroking Clouds blond hair and I wondered how he got it so spiky. Then Tifa spoke up.

"So, what am I going to use as a cart?" she asked. I looked up and pointed toward the corner where the now unused flower wagon sat, waiting for Zack to come and fix it. It almost broke my heart to have somebody else fix it up but, it was for a good reason. Zack's best friend is dying.

"Take it to the carpenter and have him fix it." I said, trying not to sound sad. She nodded and picked up my wallet. Then, without a single word she went over to the cart and wheeled it out of my church on just three wheels.

******************

**Tifa PoV **

I walked through the old, dusty streets of the slums. The flower wagon was hard to push with just three wheels so I decided to take it to the carpenter first. As I approached the marketplace, I started thinking. I hadn't missed the look on Aerith's face when she said that I could take the cart to get it fixed. This cart must be important to her. I looked at the cart. It was then that I noticed that there was something etched in the side. I stopped and bent down to get a closer look. I stifled a gasp by putting my hand over my mouth. There, carved into the side of the wagon were the names 'Zack Fair' and 'Aerith Gainsborough'. I couldn't believe it. Zack was the one I had met in Nibelhiem. He was with Sephiroth and two Infantrymen. When one of them had gotten shot, he helped me carry him down the mountain. He also came to my rescue when I Sephiroth hurt me, but I had been two mad because everything I had ever known was falling apart. I had rejected him; I had said that I hate him. I wonder where he is. I looked up at the plate and pretended like it was the sky. I promised that if I ever find him I will apologize to him. I stood standing there, my head turned up toward the sky, for a few minutes and then I remembered Cloud. I had to get his ice for him. I hurried over to the carpenter.

"Hi" He greeted. "May I help you" then his eyes went over to Aerith's flower wagon. "What are you doing with Aerith's flower cart?" He questioned and before I had time to answer he quickly added "your not trying to steal it, are you" his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I am not trying to steal it." I replied then I got real close to him. "Do you know the rumors of that man that Aerith is caring for?" He nodded and I continued. "Well, he has a really bad fever that might kill him and I need to get lots of ice and I can't do that unless I get this wagon fixed so that I can use that to carry the ice" The carpenter backed away.

"I had no idea that he was sick" He said apologetically "I'll take care of that right away" He motioned for me to stand off to the side while he repairs the wagon. I stood over by the accessory shop, looking at all of the gorgeous items. After a while my mind started to wander again. I thought about a memory form my childhood. It was from long ago, when I was about 13 years old. Cloud came over to my house for a visit. We decided to listen to the radio. Cloud blushed when he heard the song. He had defiantly heard the song before and he knew it was a love song yet, he didn't change the station. Then the chorus played.

_`Cause nobody wants to be the last one there.  
'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares.  
Someone to love with my life in their hands.  
There's gotta be somebody for me like that._

He leaned in closer to me as the chorus continued.

_`Cause nobody wants to do it on their own  
and everyone wants to know they're not alone.  
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere.  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there._

As the song continued on Cloud got closer and closer to my face. Then, when the chorus started up again, he finally gathered up the nerve to kiss me. It was my very first kiss. Shortly after that, he went off to join SOLDIER. After he left, I found myself listening to the radio more often. Whenever that song came on, I would burst into tears and thought of how much I missed him. And now, after seven years of missing him and wishing he was with me, I finally get to see him again. His looks hadn't changed a bit. I bet he would still be the same old Cloud if he could talk and move.

My thoughts disappeared when I saw the carpenter bring the fixed wagon over to me.

"Well, your wagon's all fixed ma'am." He said as he gestured toward the flower wagon. "Would you like me to paint it for you too?" He asked. I eyed the names etched in the wooden side of the wagon. The paint would look good on the worn out wagon but, it would also cover up the names that are so special to her. I shook my head and pulled out Aerith's wallet. Then I handed him the right amount of money, grabbed the cart, and left. I went toward the Materia shop, which wasn't really far. I told the owner that I knew Aerith and then, I told him about Cloud. He gave me some blizzard materia and I paid him. Then he gave me three big bags of ice, which he stuffed in the cart, barely leaving room for any more ice.

I thanked him and headed back toward Aerith's church. I had to drop off the ice at the church in order to make room. When I entered the church, I saw that Aerith had moved Cloud from the bench to the floor. He was breathing heavily, taking deep shallow breaths. He looked worse than before. I almost broke out in tears at his condition. He didn't do anything to deserve this, _did he?_ I pondered what he could have done to deserve such a thing. Cloud had always been a nice, sweet guy. I swallowed hard and asked if he was ok. Aerith reported that his temperature had gone up one degree. I gasped and closed my eyes. I wished all of this would just disappear and I would just wake up to find myself back at the bar and to find Cloud safe and sound and away from danger. I glanced at him again. He seemed so young and fragile, like he would fall to pieces if I touched him. I watched his chest heaving up and down while he slept. Then I saw Aerith look at me. Her eyes where filled with nothing but pure concern. I turned to the wagon, trying to hold back another wave of tears, and I lifted the huge ice packs out of it. Then I sat them on the floor and took one last look at Cloud before wheeling the wagon out of the church and In the direction of Aerith's house.

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**Cloud PoV **

I felt worse than I had before. I had a killer headache and all my joints ached. I felt horrible. Like I was on fire and I couldn't put it out. I looked up at the comforting face that loomed over me. She was giving me a sweet, sympathetic smile which I didn't want. I didn't want anyone's sympathy. I wanted to know that I could be useful. I wanted to feel needed. Suddenly I felt Aerith lift me up. _Oh no_ I thought _She must be taking me to the hospital again! _I couldn't let that happen because the hospital always keeps records of past patients and I couldn't risk shin-ra finding us. I glanced up at Aerith. I didn't want her to get dragged into the fight either. If I could I would tell her everything. I was relieved when she put me back on the bench. I laid there and watched her as she took the large bags of ice and put them next to each other. Then my mind started to drift. I wondered how Zack was. I hoped more than anything that he had survived the bombardment of Infantrymen and helicopters. He had helped me out so much in the past year. He had cared for me like I was his brother, and I wanted so desperately to thank him for that. I closed my eyes and silently wished, without saying a word, that I could see my best friend Zack again. And I promised that if I did, I would thank him. My thoughts where Interrupted when I felt Aerith pick me up again. She walked over to the neat little bed of ice. Then she lifted me so that my head was just below hers. She lifted the wet rag off my forehead and kissed me there. Then she replaced the rag and set me on the bed. The coldness of the ice felt good against my burning hot skin.

"Is that better?" she asked, not expecting an answer of course. Well, at least not a verbal one. She had gotten used to reading my eyes for her answers. Right now, my eyes had a look of peace and appreciation. She smiled a truly sweet, sincere smile. It almost melted away all my fears. I would have no worries at all if Tifa were here. I felt her hand rubbing the back of my hand in smooth, gentle, soothing circles. I stayed like that for a few moments, till I finally fell asleep.

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**A/N: **The next chapter is when Tifa goes to Elmyra's house to get the ice. The song in the chapter is Gotta Be Somebody, by Nickelback. Chapter 4 in next, and there is a surprise in store later on. So I will see you then, Bye!


	5. Searching

**A/N: **Yay, Volume 5! I'm so happy I could make it this far. I've already thought of a lot of it and the weird thing is that whenever I think of a scene that's going to be in this story, I think "Omg, I can't wait to write this!" and as thanks for all the help you have given me **Chibipinkbunny, **and for being my first friend I will make a special romantic Zerith scene just for you. I will tell you when it is coming up, ok. Also, this story is going way over 10 chapters. The same song from the last chapter is in this one as well. If you don't know it, just look it up on YouTube. This is an edited version of my chapter 5. Thanks to my wonderful new beta reader **Chibipinkbunny** alot of stuff in my story makes sense now. Anyway, don't forget that this story is in PoV (point of view) format and _this_ means thought, this means writing, and _this_ means singing.

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**Chapter 5:** Searching

**Tifa PoV**

I arrived at the house Aerith had described. She was right, it was hard to miss. There where yellow flowers everywhere I looked. I hadn't met a single person, in all my time living in the slums, who could grow flowers down here. I gazed in awe at the flowers until a voice interrupted me.

"Hello" It said. It sounded soft and motherly like my own mother was standing right behind me. "Are you looking for something?"

I turned around. The woman was young for her age. If she had raised Aerith she must be in her forty's by now. The young woman had the same sweet smile as Aerith too. She was holding a bundle of flowers in her arms and she had on a yellow skirt that matched them perfectly. Aerith's mother had black hair and brown eyes. I smiled up at her, but my smile quickly faded as I remembered Cloud. "No," I replied "I am not looking for anything." Then, as if she sensed the concern in my voice, her smile disappeared too. "Do you know the blond spiky-haired man Aerith calls Sky?" She pursed her lips.

"How do you know about Aerith and Sky?" She asked me quizzically. I took a deep breath in order to tell the story. "Sky's name is actually Cloud," I told her. "You see, I am his childhood friend, Tifa Lockheart. I had heard some rumors about him so I decided to visit your daughter's church. I haven't seen Cloud in seven years, so I hoped that the rumors were true but, at the same time I hoped it wasn't." I felt my eyes tear up a little. "You see the rumors say that he couldn't move at all."

"That sounds like him," she said. "Poor guy, Aerith's had to carry him from her church to our house everyday."

I nodded and continued my story. "Well, turns out that the rumors are true. Cloud cannot move at all and if that isn't bad enough. . ." I paused and looked at Aerith's mom. I had tears streaming down my face now ". . .he has a really bad fever. It's at one-hundred and six degrees now. Aerith said it was past the critical point. She sent me to get some ice from you, and if I don't he might die." She nodded and motioned for me to come inside. I took the flower cart and wheeled it inside. I put it right next to her refrigerator.

"We always keep lots of ice around, in case Sky gets a fever," she explained as she dumped little bags of ice into the wagon. I pulled out my blizzard materia. She nodded and took out the ice trays. She filled them up with water and held them out to me. I used the materia to cast Ice on them, and she got some bags to put them in. We talked while we were working. She told me about Aerith, and I told her about Cloud. Before I knew it we were done. The cart was filled with bags of ice. I thanked Elmyra and strode off in the direction of Aerith's church. She had offered to help me, but I denied it. I didn't want her to see Cloud in his state. She stood at the entrance of her house, waving goodbye to me with a sad look on her face. It hurt me, and I knew it hurt her that she couldn't help her daughter's friend.

*~*~*~*~*

With a heavy heart I opened the solid oak doors of the church. Inside I found that Aerith had put Cloud on the big bags of ice that the Materia shop owner had given me. He was gasping for air now. I wheeled the cart as fast as it could move, until I was right next to Cloud. Then without a word I piled ice on top of him. Aerith immediately got up and helped. We went as fast as we could until we were all out of ice. There was nothing else we could do. Now it was all up to Cloud. We sat down and waited. My hands were trembling. There were tears in my eyes, and my heart was pounding so hard I thought it might rip out of my chest. I just watched as the person I have known all my life, my childhood friend, was fighting for his life. It felt wrong to me. I wished there was something… anything I could do to help. I stroked his sweat covered blond hair. Aerith performed that soothing motion where she rubs the back of his hand in tiny circles. We waited and waited, until the gasping finally stopped. If his chest wasn't still moving up and down, I would have thought he was dead.

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**Cloud PoV**

I stopped gasping for air and had gone back to normal. But, I knew that wasn't the end to my suffering, I knew that Jenova wouldn't give up that easily. I felt it. All of a sudden I had stopped breathing. I could see a blurry Tifa move towards me. She mumbled something I couldn't quite make out. Then, it happened. I couldn't control it. My limbs flailed everywhere. I heard Tifa scream and I saw Aerith pull her back away form me. I was having a seizure. Ice flew everywhere. I screamed from all of the pain that I was feeling. Tifa looked at me with sad, disbelieving eyes. The attack was over just as soon as it had started and, despite how brave I wanted to be, tears formed in my eyes as well. Tifa crawled over to me and gave me a hug. She kissed me on the cheek and whispered reassuring words into my ear. My muddled mind could barely make out what she was saying, but it probably wouldn't do any good. I was fading fast, despite the ice that helped cool me. I was just barely holding on to life. Aerith had begun stroking my hair in an effort to calm me, but that was useless too. Then I heard Tifa hum a familiar tune, one that took me way back to my childhood, seven years ago, when I had my first kiss. Then her humming began to turn into words:

_This time, I wonder what it feels like  
to find the one in this life, the one we all dream of  
but dreams just aren't enough _

Then Aerith joined in.

_So I'll be waiting for the real thing, I'll know it by the feeling  
The moment when we're meeting, will play out like a scene  
Straight off the silver screen  
So I'll be holding my own breath, right up 'til the end  
Until that moment when, I find the one that I'll spend forever with_

Then they sang that familiar chorus.

_Cause nobody wants to be the last one there  
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares  
someone to love with my life in their hands  
there's gotta be somebody for me like that_

_Cause nobody wants to do it on their own  
and everyone wants to know they're not alone  
there's somebody else that feels the same somewhere  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there._

I felt the song instilling hope in me and giving me the strength to fight back against the fever. As they continued on, I fought harder and harder.

_Tonight, out on the street, out in the moonlight  
And darn it this feels too right, it's just like déjà vu  
to be standing here with you  
So I'll be holding my own breath, could this be the end  
Is it that moment when, I find the one that I'll spend forever with_

_Cause nobody wants to be the last one there  
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares  
someone to love with my life in their hands  
there's gotta be somebody for me like that_

_Cause nobody wants to do it on their own  
and everyone wants to know they're not alone  
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there_

_You can't give up, looking for a diamond in the rough  
because you never know, when it shows up, make sure you're holding on  
Cause it could be the one, the one you're waiting on_

_Cause nobody wants to be the last one there  
and everyone wants to feel like someone cares  
someone to love with my life in their hands  
There's gotta be somebody for me, ohhh_

_Nobody wants to do it on their own  
And everyone wants to know their not alone  
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there  
Nobody wants to be the last one there  
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares  
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there_

As Tifa hummed the last few lines of the song, I felt my temperature go down. My immune system was fighting back. It's amazing what music can do. It can cheer you up, it can bring you down, and it can even save your life, if sung by the right person. Tifa noticed too. With a little gasp she put the back of her hand against my forehead. Slowly, she removed it and as she did a smile formed on her lips. It was one of her sweet smiles that I used to like when I was a kid.

"Your fine now," she said softly. "The fever is gone."

I looked up at her. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. Behind her I saw Aerith. She was approaching me with the thermometer that she had dug out of the backpack. She stuck it in my mouth and studied the red line of mercury carefully. A look of relief came over her face when she read the temperature aloud, "102.3 degrees."

I heard Tifa let out a sigh of relief, as she ruffled my hair playfully. Aerith got up, brushed off her pink dress, and went to put the thermometer away. _Wait… __**Pink**__dress!?_ I thought. Then, I noticed that I could see in colors again. It was beautiful. That was one thing I had missed, being able to see vibrant blues and stunning yellows. _I wonder… _

Carefully, I lifted my arm so that I could see my hand. I turned it left and then right. I moved it up and then down and finally side to side. I noticed that Tifa and Aerith where watching me incredulously. I made my hand come down to rest on Tifa's hand which she had placed on my chest. Tifa gasped in surprise, but her surprised expression turned to happiness. She lifted up my hand and held it up to her face. She was studying it as if she had never seen anything like it. She turned it over and began to trace the lines on my palms. It felt soothing. I lifted my head up to see her better. Aerith, who had seated herself next to Tifa, took my other hand. They glanced at each and nodded, as if exchanging a silent message.

Then, they both tugged on my arms. I felt myself rising upward. Aerith placed her other hand on my back to steady me. Before I knew it I was standing. Aerith and Tifa were both clinging on to me, afraid that if they let go I might fall face-first on the floor. Tentatively, Aerith let go of me. Tifa was a little more reluctant, but she eventually let go. I felt a little wobbly at first. Tifa had her arms out to catch me in case I fell. But, I never did. I looked down at my feet. It was strange to think that after a year of being dragged around by Zack I could stand by myself. I was still weak though. I tried moving my head and my legs. They still worked after five years of not being used. Experimenting, I lifted my foot and took one step forward. Then I lifted the other foot and stepped forward with that one. I repeated the process until I stood in front of Tifa. She had tears in her eyes again, but these were tears of joy. Shakily, I raised both of my arms and tried to hug her but, when I did I sort of fell onto her. Nevertheless I still wrapped my arms around her in a big hug.

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**Tifa PoV**

I was so surprised that Cloud had actually hugged me that I almost fell backwards. It was the sweet side of Cloud that I loved. He doesn't show that side of himself very often but it was great when he did. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him back. Then, I stood Cloud up again and he started to toddle over to the flower patch. It was funny when he walked. It was like a baby does when it takes its first steps. It made me giggle under my breath. Cloud knelt down beside the flower patch and picked a yellow flower. He sniffed it. I giggled louder. He probably hadn't been able to smell anything when he had a fever or maybe even before that. Aerith knelt down beside him. "You like my flowers, don't you?" She asked.

I could see his lips moving in an effort to form words. Finally he answered. "Y-yes they a-are very pretty," he said, his face becoming serious again. "Thank you," he said without stuttering, which surprised me. "I know you and your mom had to go through a lot to take care of me."

He looked down at the flower in his hand. Aerith reached up and took the flower from his hand. She brushed his hair away from his face and then took the flower and put it in his hair. He smiled and turned to face me. I giggled much louder than intended. The flower looked weird on him compared to his dirty SOLDIER uniform. Still, it looked nice on him too. It matched his hair perfectly and it made his mako-blue eyes stand out. His happy expression suddenly turned serious. He looked like he had remembered something. He uttered one single word "Zack."

At the mention of Zack's name I ran over and knelt over on the other side of Cloud. I heard Aerith asking him all sorts of questions about Zack, and I listened in as he explained. My happy mood instantly changed when I heard what had happened to Cloud and Zack throughout the last five years. The tears instantly came back. No wonder he was in the sorry state he was in. Cloud called it mako addiction. It happened when he had too much mako in his system. Apparently Zack wasn't affected because he was in SOLDIER.

I interrupted when it came to that part. "Wait a minute," I said. "Does that mean that you weren't in SOLDIER?"

He blushed bright pink, and Aerith felt his forehead, obviously worried that he might be getting another fever. Aerith lowered her hand and went back to listening.

"Well, no," he said. "I was not cut out to be in SOLDIER." He looked down at the ground again "In other words, I failed the SOLDIER exam and got stuck as a lowly Infantryman. I was afraid to return to Nibelhiem because I thought you and your threesome would laugh at me."

I lifted his chin up so that he could gaze into my eyes. "I don't care what rank you are, just as long as you're still my Cloud," I said staring into his mako blue eyes. They had a hypnotizing feeling, like I could drown in them. He pulled away from me, and I could see him blush again. Then he continued his story. He told me some of the things that had happened in the past year. At least I had a good idea of what had happened, although he refused to tell me what had happened to make them into Hojo's experiments. He concluded his story by telling us that we need to find Zack because he may be injured or dying. I couldn't imagine the man I had met five years ago injured and possibly dying.

"Then we have to go save him," Aerith said. With that, we planned our rescue mission.

******************

**Aerith PoV **

We had a plan in place. We would go to Kalm and see if they knew anything about Zack. The others were headed out the door and I was just about ready to go when I heard a voice calling my name, a sweet familiar voice that I remembered since childhood. The planet was talking to me. I walked back over to kneel beside the flowers. Then, I put my ear to the ground. Tifa ran over to me and put her hand on my back.

"What's wrong?" she asked. I was too busy listening to what the planet had to say to answer her. Then I heard a voice from behind me.

"The planet is speaking to her," Cloud said. Tifa was looking at him as if she thought he was crazy, so he explained "She does this all the time. You see, she cared for me for two weeks. And I've seen her do this several times and she says it's because she is the sole survivor of an ancient race called the cetra and they have the ability to talk to the planet."

I ignored him and pressed my ear closer to the ground. When I could not hear any more voices, I stood up and brushed myself off. "The plant thinks we should go toward Junon," I stated.

("She says that's where Zack is" Tifa looked skeptical.

But before she could say something, Cloud interrupted. "Ok, let's go to Junon," he said. He looked over at Tifa. "It's the only lead we've got."

Tifa nodded and stood up. "I guess so," she said, and she headed out the door followed by me and Cloud. We stopped by the marketplace first to get supplies. It would take us months to get to Junon. I took the backpack with me just in case. When we got out of Midgar, we headed south for several days until we came to a forested area. When we entered, the voices suddenly stopped. It was a mystery. I would think that the voices would be the strongest in a forest, surrounded by nature.

"This must be where Zack is," I told Tifa, although I was not too sure of that.

Then I heard Cloud say, "Then we should split up." Tifa and I nodded at the same time, and we took off in separate directions.

******************

**Tifa PoV**

I kept walking trough the woods silently hoping that Zack was okay. According to Cloud, he had been told by the driver of the truck that there were millions of ShinRa Infantrymen chasing after them and that Zack had jumped out of the truck to distract them so that Cloud could escape. I would forever be grateful that he was looking after Cloud while he was mako-poisoned. It had been two weeks since that had happened. I had no idea how long the SOLDIER 1st class could survive being chased in the desert without any food or water. With all these thought running through my mind my walk broke into a run, although I had no idea why I was hurrying. I guess it was because I was so worried about Zack that I just wanted to see him and confirm that he was alright.

Suddenly I tripped over a root and fell face-first onto something hard. My head throbbed when I picked myself up. I picked up the object that I had bumped my head on. It looked like a metal shoulder guard. It was silver and looked exactly like the ones that Cloud had on his SOLDIER uniform. That only meant one thing… that whoever owned this was in SOLDIER.

Upon further inspection, I noticed that I was in the middle of a campsite, complete with a tent and charred wood from a fire. Then my eye came across a big flat piece of metal on the ground. Carefully, I walked over to it. It was unmistakably familiar. I reached out to touch its handle and then pulled back as if it was going to bite me. I touched the handle again. This time I did not shrink back. Instead I gripped it firmly and tried to lift it. It was very heavy, as I suspected, but I got it off of the ground enough to see it better. Tears welled up in my eyes as I recognized the blade. It was the big heavy sword that Zack always had with him.

My head was spinning, so I dropped the huge sword and walked over to the tent. I had to confirm that Zack was here. I had to see him with my own eyes.

I drew back the opening flap and gasped. There he was, Zack Fair, SOLDIER 1st Class. He was covered up in a blanket and laying on the ground, sleeping. He turned in his sleep and that's when I saw it. He had a white bandage on his shoulder that was stained with blood. My worst fears had been confirmed, he had been hurt. I gasped rather loudly when I saw the black-haired man open his eyes.

******************

**Zack PoV**

I rubbed my eyes to see who was in my tent. My left hand instinctively reached for the Buster Sword to get ready for an attack. Then I remembered that I had left it outside the tent near the campfire. Why did I have to forget it today of all days? I turned my head to face the person that was at the entrance of my tent. It was a girl with black hair and brown eyes. She seemed kind of familiar. She was looking at me with wide eyes and a look of horror on her face. Then I noticed that she was not looking at me but at the blood stained cloth that covered my right shoulder.

"Zack?" she asked. I stiffened when she said my name. _How could this girl know my name? _Regardless of that thought, I nodded. "It's me, Tifa Lockheart" she continued. Suddenly I knew why her name sounded so familiar. She was that girl from Nibelhiem that was Cloud's childhood friend. She was the one that helped me when Cloud was injured and she was also the girl in the mako reactor that said she hated me.

I looked down at the blanket for a while then I looked up into her eyes and mumbled, "Yea Tifa, I remember you." I stood up and motioned her to move out of the way. When she did so I went outside and she followed. I sat on a log not far from the campfire and she sat next to me. I picked up the Buster Blade and took the rag that was next to it. I spit on it and started polishing it. _My honor and dreams… _I thought. _That's what this represents. _

After a few minutes of watching me polish my sword, Tifa looked at my shoulder wound and asked, "Zack, are you ok?"

I looked at her and gave her one of my famous puppy-like smiles. "Yep, I'm fine" I said and I turned back to my sword. Then, I heard a rustling in the bushes. I got up and got in my battle position, ready to protect myself and Tifa. The rustling got louder and I could see that Tifa was scared too. Then someone popped out from the shrubs. A tear came to my eyes as I realized who it was. His hair was the first thing I recognized. It was blond and spiky, just like I remembered. Then I saw his eyes, they were exactly like mine.

"Spiky!" I exclaimed, walking over to my best friend. "You're alive!" Cloud's expression softened when he noticed who it was.

"Zack?" he asked softly.

"Yep it's me buddy," I said. I'm glad that he wasn't hurt and he wasn't mako poisoned anymore. It was better than I could have hoped for. He was back to himself. It seemed like he was cured.

******************

**A/N: **This chapter is really long, but it is also very detailed. In the next chapter, the long lost lover will be reunited so, until then, Bye!


	6. Interruption

A/N: First of all I posted chapter 5 without having my beta, read it. Once she returned it to me edited I put up the edited version in its place. It sounds much better now, so I'd appreciate it if you gave it a read. Thanks! Anyway, so you will soon know why this chapter is called Interruption. Ok, so this story is in PoV (point of view) format and _this_ means thought, this means writing, and _this_ means singing.

Beta: **Chibipinkbunny**

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**Chapter 6: **Interruption

**Aerith PoV**

The sun had just vanished over the horizon, which meant it was getting dark outside. I didn't like to be alone in a forest in the dark because it was scary. Suddenly I wished that Zack was right next to me giving me one of his famous puppy-dog grins and telling me that it would be alright. As it became darker I picked up the pace, until I was literally running.

I doubted that even the map in my backpack would do any good now. Then I saw some light in between the trees. _A forest fire? _I thought. If it was a forest fire I didn't want to be caught in the middle of it. _But it could be other people, _I reasoned with myself, _people who know where they are going._ Hesitantly, I took a step toward the light. Then I heard a voice calling my name.

"Aerith!" The voice sounded frantic. I heard it again but louder this time, "Aerith!" Then a shape appeared before my eyes. I gasped as the shape turned toward me. "Aerith is that you?" The familiar voice asked. I nodded slightly but I knew he could see me. I already knew who it was. I could never forget that voice. "Hold on," he said and he revealed a fire materia.

I was almost to the brink of tears when the materia lit up to show the man's face. It was the one person I had been dying to see, the one person who I loved; Zack Fair. It was as if my silent prayer for Zack to come and comfort me had come true. The tears finally escaped when I embraced him in a hug that nearly made him drop his materia.

"Zack, I missed you so much" I whispered as I nuzzled deeper into his chest. I felt warm and safe in his arms.

"It's ok, I'm here now," he whispered back. "Anyway, a promise is a promise right?" I looked up and sure enough, he was grinning from ear to ear. "Come on," he said after a while. "We better head on back to the camp." I nodded and quietly we walked toward the strange orange light I had seen earlier.

*~*~*~*~*

When we got to the camp Tifa and Cloud greeted us. They were sitting around a big campfire, looking as happy as can be. I sat next to Cloud and Zack sat beside me. I noticed that tears of joy were still streaming down my face.

Cloud leaned in closer to me. "Are you okay?" he asked with a look of concern.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" Tifa questioned. I shook my head and glanced over at Zack. Then I looked back over to Tifa and Cloud, who were sitting next to each other, both of them had a worried expression on their face. I reached up and wiped a tear from my eye.

"No, Tifa" I replied "I'm just happy to see Zack again!" I put my arm around Zack and he pressed a kiss on my cheek.

"Ok everyone, let's eat!" Zack said as he looked in my backpack for some food. "I could eat a whole chocobo!" he said when he had retrieved some food. That made me giggle and then a little smile spread across my face. With Zack and the others here to guide me I knew I would be ok.

**********************

**Zack PoV**

I watched as everyone was talking and laughing. Everything seemed normal, even though it wasn't. It was just that every little normal thing Cloud and I did reminded us that we were human and not monsters. It was nice that Aerith had found me but, I didn't want her to get involved with me. I was being chased by ShinRa. And that was defiantly too dangerous for her. I saw Aerith glance over at me and smile. Gaia, I missed her smile. I noticed that she had changed her outfit to match the ribbon I gave her. I was touched that she still had it in her hair. Then I heard Aerith speak.

"Hey, Zack," she said. I looked up from my food and nodded for her to go on. "Where are we going to go now?" She asked. And before I could say a word she said "Maybe we can go to my church." she was kind of half glancing at me now. I shook my head.

"No, your place is still guarded by Turks, remember?" She looked at her dress, disappointment clear in her eyes. "I was heading to Junon. And from there I was planning to take a boat to Wutai." I looked at Cloud; he had that admiring look back in his eyes, like when he used to idolize Sephiroth, only it was me he was admiring. I returned his glance with a little smile before I continued, "as you probably know, the Wutaians lost a war against ShinRa, so they will not like SOLDIER coming within a hundred feet of their town. That's why we have to disguise ourselves. Plus…I kinda know somebody that's from there." I thought about Yuffie. I doubted she would be much help to us, but it was worth a shot. I wondered how old she was now. She looked about nine or ten years old when I first saw her. She was probably a teenager now.

I sighed and looked at the others who had gone back to eating and talking. Then my SOLDIER sight caught some movement in the bushes. I looked at Cloud. It was obvious that he'd seen it too. He'd already gotten up and had my Buster Sword firmly gripped in his hands. He put his finger to his mouth in a gesture that told everybody to be quiet. Aerith and Tifa stopped talking and stood behind him.

"Come out whoever you are!" Cloud yelled into the depths of the forest. For a long moment nobody answered. Then the mystery person finally stepped out of the shadows that had shrouded him. I gasped when I recognized who it was. He had black hair that was pulled into a tight pony tail and he was wearing a suit. I could just make out a little dot on his forehead.

"Tseng!" I said "what are you doing here?" I asked, raising one eyebrow quizzically. I looked at Cloud again. Aerith already had her rod out and Tifa was already in her fighting stance.

"I'm here to help you" he said. Then, Cloud held the Sword up to Tseng's neck, ready to decapitate him at a moment's notice.

"I don't believe you," Cloud snarled. "Why would a Turk want to help us?" Tseng took a step back which only made Cloud tighten his grip on the sword and press it closer to his neck.

"Because," he replied. "I have a package to deliver to Zack," as he said these words, he took out a little rectangular clear box from inside his suit. There were letters inside of it. Printed on the top was the word 'sealed,' but I could just barely make out the words on the front of the first letter. It said 'Aerith Gainsborough'. These were the eighty-eight letters that Aerith had sent me over the last four years. Tears started to form in my eyes as I took the box from him.

"These are Aerith's eighty-eight letters aren't they?" I asked. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Aerith hurried over to my side to look at the package. Cloud loosened his grip a little but, still held the sword in place.

"Yep, they are," Tseng answered. "I had them recovered from the various places that they were sent to." I glanced at Aerith to see tears streaming down her face. Then I noticed that Cloud was still holding the sword. I motioned for him to put it down, and he did so. Tseng took in a big gulp of air. He walked over to me and held out his hand.

"I'm just trying to help you," he said. I gave Aerith the box of letters and stepped up so that I was right in front of him

"At what cost?" I asked. But, before he could answer I interrupted. I put my finger to my mouth to tell everyone to be quiet, and then I listened intently. I heard the whirring of helicopters in the distance and that only meant one thing; That ShinRa had caught up to us. "We have to leave" I said grabbing the backpack and flinging it on my back. "It's urgent" I looked into Aerith's eyes, and silently pleaded with her. Then she ran over to the tent to try and take it down. Tifa and Cloud went over to help her, but it was too late.

The white hot glow of helicopter searchlights came down on me and Tseng. I just stood there, paralyzed, like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. I saw Cloud out of the corner of my eye. He was just about to step into the searchlight when I locked eyes with him and shook my head a little. I knew that signal was enough to communicate my message to him. I didn't want them to find out that Cloud was here. Then Tseng whispered something in my ear.

"Leave here, I'll distract them," he said. Then he pulled out his gun and started shooting at a helicopter, and the helicopters shot back. I ran over to Cloud and the others.

"We've gotta go now!" I yelled. Then, I grabbed the Buster Sword and started running for my life. Cloud kept up with me but, the girls were falling behind. Aerith tripped and fell, so I ran back to her. I helped her up and then we started running again. I held her hand and slowed down my pace so that she could keep up and I noticed that Cloud was doing the same with Tifa, who was also carrying the tent.

I looked back at the searchlight just in time to catch a glimpse of a bullet that grazed Tseng's shoulder. Tseng fell to his knees, looked over in my general direction and actually smiled a little bit. He dropped his gun and clutched his shoulder, which was now bleeding. Then he was out of my sight range, but I just kept running. If Tseng died, then his sacrifice wouldn't be in vain, and if he lives I will thank him for this someday. For now, I just kept on running.

We kept running for what seemed like forever. We only stopped once we were sure that we were far away from the spot where the ShinRa helicopters were. When we found a good place that was secluded by many trees, we settled down. Aerith collapsed on the grass, obviously tired from running. Behind me I heard Tifa yawn. Then Cloud appeared beside me.

"I think we should let the girls rest," he said I nodded in agreement and pulled a blanket out of Aerith's backpack, which I still had on. Aerith had my blanket that I took from Kalm's inn and she was already asleep. I handed the other blanket to Tifa and she curled up with it too.

"Don't worry," I assured her, "Cloud and I will keep watch tonight." She nodded, closed her eyes, and went to sleep. I went and sat next to Aerith and Cloud joined me. I stroked her hair and she murmured in her sleep. "She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping, doesn't she Cloud?" I asked.

Cloud nodded his head and replied, "Yes she does." Slowly my hand moved from her hair to touch the pink ribbon in her hair. "Did you give her that?" Cloud asked.

"Yep," I replied, remembering that day; the day I had first met Aerith. I looked at her calm sleeping form. Then I said, "You know, she hasn't taken off that ribbon since I gave it to her four years ago." I smiled when I remembered how happy she was back then.

"That really is something," Cloud said, surprised. "She must really like you," I blushed bright pink when he said those words. They were true though. Why would somebody wear a present from her boyfriend that she hadn't seen in four years, if she didn't love him? "What about you and Tifa?" I asked, trying to change the subject. This time it was Cloud's turn to blush and he did. "Um… Tifa is ok," he stammered, just like the little nervous infantryman I used to know.

"Ok?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "She seems more than just 'ok' to you."

Cloud turned away. "She was my childhood friend, nothing more," he replied.

I shook my head. "Same old Cloud," I said. "Always keeping to himself." Cloud cringed at these words, so I continued, "Always hiding his feelings away in a little box and never opening it up." At these words Cloud turned around and looked at me. I took this chance and locked eyes with him. Then I said one more thing, one very _important_ thing, "You need to learn to open up to other people, Cloud. Whether it is me or Tifa or even Aerith, you need to learn that it's ok to feel sad, or embarrassed, or even loved." I kept eye contact with Cloud until he broke it by looking away. I could see tears in his eyes.

"Okay, so I love her," Cloud replied. "But, she's never loved me back."

I scooted forward just enough to touch Cloud's shoulder then I put my mouth to his ear. "Ask her when she wakes up," I whispered. I saw Cloud shrink away from me and look at me with disbelieving eye, as if I were asking him to do something outrageous like jump off a cliff. But I gave him the stern look that Angeal used to give me and he nodded.

"I just might do that," he replied. He flashed me a tiny little smile and then a big yawn forced its way out of his mouth.

"Why don't you go to sleep?" I said. "I'll keep watch till morning."

"but-" Cloud started, but I cut him off.

"Don't worry," I said holding up the box of letters. "I have plenty to do." Cloud nodded and lay down on the grass right between Aerith and Tifa and fell asleep. Carefully, I took out the first letter and read the date on it. I started counting the letters first before I opened them. I realized that there were only eighty-seven letters in the box. Then upon further inspection, I found out that the only letter that was missing was the first letter Aerith ever sent. I guessed that Tseng had the missing one. Wherever he was right now, I really hope he is alive. I sighed and opened the second letter. I started reading it. Then when I was done with that I went to the third letter. And before I knew it I was on the forty-fifth letter. Some of her letters made me laugh, others made me cry. And by the time the sun peeked over the horizon I was already on the sixty-third letter. Aerith was the first one to wake up. She walked over to me when she noticed I was reading her letters. When I told her how far I had gotten she gasped with surprise. Then I pointed out some of my favorite parts and asked her questions and we laughed together. She pointed out things she liked about them too, and we told stories and just had a good time talking together. It reminded me of how things used to be.

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**Cloud PoV **

I woke up to the sound of laughter. It was almost as if I was still in a dream. I turned to my left and noticed that Aerith wasn't sleeping in her little makeshift bed. Then I heard the sound of laughter again, and I looked at the two figures who were sitting fairly close to me. It was Zack and Aerith. They were looking over her letters and laughing. A pang of sadness overtook me and I turned over to look at Tifa. I wished Tifa and I could be that carefree, even when we're in a dangerous situation. We barely ever talked and when we did, it was always short. Sure, I love her, but that doesn't mean that she loves me. I figured that I might as well get up. I sat up and found that Aerith and Zack were both looking up at me.

"Good morning Spiky!" Zack said cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?" I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and then I nodded.

"Better than you, I bet," I replied. Then I heard someone stirring beside me. I turned to Tifa just in time to see her brown eyes open. Then I heard Zack approach me and whisper in my ear.

"Ask her," he said. I nodded because I knew that he wanted me to ask her if she loved me. Tifa sat up and looked at me.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Zack said teasingly from behind me. He playfully nudged me closer to her. As a matter of fact, he nudged me so hard that I ended up falling into her.

"Um" I said blushing a bright pink "C...can I talk to you in private?" I stammered.

"Sure" she replied and she led me into the trees. When we got to a good spot, Tifa crouched down and looked at me straight in the eyes. "What is it Cloud?" she asked. Unfortunately, a big lump of nervousness formed in my throat thus making it hard to talk. I forced it down to my stomach where it became butterflies of nervousness. I said the words quickly before I had a chance to change my mind and take them back.

"Do you love me Tifa?" I saw her gasp in surprise, but then she put on her sweet smile. She caressed my cheek and made it so that I was looking directly into her eyes.

"Yes Cloud I do," she replied with tears of joy in her eyes. She gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, "Of course I love you Cloud." Then we walked back to camp hand-in-hand just like we used to do when we were little. When we got back to camp I heard Zack cheering and I blushed.

"Cloud and Tifa sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-" but he didn't have time to finish because I had thrown one of my ShinRa brand boots at him. It hit him right in the forehead.

"Ouch!" Zack said rubbing his temple. "That hurt Spiky, but at least your aims getting better." He grinned. I heard Aerith giggling to herself and Tifa laughing out loud. I blushed even more. Then I took off my other shoe.

"Do you really want to see how good my aim can be?" I asked. Zack started laughing and running away and I followed, determined to teach him a lesson. I couldn't help it, I laughed too. Zack kept taunting me by saying things like, 'your mother is a chocobo' and those only fueled my desire to hit him in the back of the head. When I finally got him he held up his hand, which meant that we should stop. He caught his breath and sat down.

"Man, my shoulder's killing me," he said, and the girls rushed to his side. "Calm down, I don't mean that literally." He looked at Aerith and smiled. "I just need to rest for a while." Tifa nodded and went to stand by me. I could see that she was blushing. Then she quickly planted a kiss on my cheek. I put my hand on the spot where she kissed me and looked up at her. She was giving me another one of those smiles that I adored so much. I smiled back at her. We had a long way to go to finally find freedom, but with everyone happy and smiling, I was sure we would make it. There was no stopping ShinRa Infantryman Cloud Strife and SOLDIER 1st Class Zack Fair.

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**A/N: **This was one of the best chapters I have written so far. My writing keeps improving the further I go in the story. And there is a bit of Zerith fluff in there for my beta **Chibipinkbunny**. Anyone want to know why I prefer to write in 1st person point of view? Well I like actually feeling like I am the character. Like in the Cloud PoV I like being Cloud. I've also gotten in the habit of listening to Crisis Core music while I type this story. Like if I was doing a scene where they have to battle something or escape from somewhere I would listen to On the Verge of Assault and for more peaceful scenes I would listen to Moonlight Wandering. Anyways chapter 7 is where they start their voyage to Wutai. I should have it done in one or two weeks. So, until then, bye!


	7. Voyage

**A/N:** Here is chapter 7! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. There is also gonna be a special scene in there for my beta Chibipinkbunny. : 3 Oh, and I looked back at the FFVII map and found out that Junon was surrounded by water. That changes my plans a little bit, but not significantly. So, remember this story is in PoV (point of view) format and _this_ means thought, this means writing, and _this_ means singing.

**Chapter 7:** Voyage

**Zack PoV**

We spent the next two months on a journey to Junon. Then we ran into a vast river. The map that I had pulled out of Aerith's backpack told us that we had to cross it in order to get to Junon. _We had just survived a perilous trip through the mountains and now we had to go across a river?_ The shoreline was dotted with trees on both sides, which gave me an idea.

I looked down at the big sword that I gripped firmly in my left hand. After putting the map back in the backpack, I heaved the sword up and walked over to one of the trees. The others followed behind me with puzzled expressions on their faces. I held the sword so that it was even with the trunk of the tree. Then, as if the Buster Sword was a giant axe, I chopped away at the tree. The massive tree was long enough to bridge the river gap, essentially forming a bridge from one side to the other.

"Good thinking Zack," I heard Cloud say from behind me. I flashed one of my famous puppy-dog grins and puffed out my chest like I had just done something heroic like save a whole town from a gigantic monster. I motioned for Aerith, who was carrying the tent, to go first. She looked nervously over at the tree-bridge.

"Don't worry," I said. "I'll be right behind you in case you fall." She looked at me and then started toward the bridge. I couldn't go first because I was afraid that if Aerith fell I wouldn't be able to help her and she would drown. "I'll go after Aerith**,** then Tifa goes next**,** and then Cloud goes last**,**" I told the others. Cloud gave me a dirty look that said 'why do I have to go last?' But, I ignored it. I had the order strategically planned out. Cloud and I would always be in front of a girl in case she slipped. People in SOLDIER were usually more coordinated than normal people**,** so we should have no trouble getting across the river.

Aerith took her first step onto the log. She had her arms spread out like a high-wire performer because she was obviously trying to keep her balance. Then I stepped onto the log beside her and started walking. It was a piece of cake. I looked behind me to see that Tifa and Cloud were following closely behind. Then I looked back to see that Aerith was already on the other side of the river, cheering me on.

**Cloud PoV **

Balancing on the log was easy for me**,** and I could tell that Tifa had gotten the hang of it. I could see Aerith on the other shore. _Wow, she is fast_**,** I thought, figuring that Zack was about three quarters of the way there by now. I was about half way there and Tifa was between us. Suddenly I felt dizzy and my limbs became weak. I heard a female voice whispering in my head. It was a familiar voice. It was a dark soft voice, one that instilled fear in me. I hadn't heard her in two months and now she has awakened.

Before I knew what was happening**,** I fell into the water. I reached my hand out and grabbed a tree branch. I tried to fight back against the current that threatened to sweep me away. Then I saw Tifa grab my other hand. She tried desperately to pull me out. I looked over toward the place where I had seen Aerith and saw Zack running back across the log in my direction. Then the voice came again, this time, louder. She demanded that I let go.

"NO!" I cried "She's inside my head!" I tried to block her out but it was hopeless. I tried frantically to hold on to Tifa's hand, but it was to no avail. My hand slipped**,** and I was swept away. My head bobbed above the water just in time to see Zack dive in after me**,** and then I was pulled down into the watery depths.

I was lost in a world of darkness. I searched desperately for one little speck of light. I tried to swim up to the surface**,** but I had no idea which way was up and which was down. I was running out of air fast**,** so I just swam. I hoped more than anything that I was going towards the surface and not away from it.

Then I felt something grab me around the waist. It pulled me the opposite way that I wanted to go. _Oh no_ my mind yelled _It must be an octopus! _But I quickly rejected that idea when I noticed that they were human arms. Then I saw the light. The person was swimming toward it. That meant that I was going even further down before the man had found me. I noticed that I had made an almost fatal mistake.

**Zack PoV **

We finally broke through the surface of the water. I took a huge gulp of air and looked over to Cloud, who was also trying to get some air. I directed him over toward the shoreline where Aerith and Tifa were waiting. As soon as I touched land**,** Tifa hurried over to me and took Cloud from my arms. She dragged him further up the shore. He was gasping for air and sputtering out water. When he could finally breathe again, he sat up. His eyes were filled with fear. Then he spoke.

"Jenova," he said, "she was controlling me**.**" He looked at his own hand as if he expected it to move on its own. It was obvious that Jenova still wasn't gone from his system. I guessed that she had been dormant for two months and then taken control of him when he had been crossing the log. One thing was sure**, **she would stop at nothing to kill Cloud**,** and regardless of whether I had a say in things or not, I wasn't going to let that happen. I would make sure that Cloud frees himself of Jenova once and for all.

I looked at Cloud. Tifa had wrapped him up in the blanket so that he could dry off. He was shivering all over from the cold water. Then I went over to the backpack**,** which I had put down on the shore before I went to rescue Cloud. I found the other blanket and used it as a towel to dry myself off. I estimated that we only had a few more days to go until we reached Junon and bought some dry clothes. I figured that I could hold out in a sopping wet SOLDIER uniform until then. I walked over to Cloud and offered him a hand. He took it**,** and I helped him stand up.

"Alright," I said in a tone a general would use to his troops, "let's mosey!" I pointed toward the direction of Junon. The girls burst out laughing and Cloud just stood there with a confused expression on his face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cloud asked, "couldn't you say something cooler like 'let's go' or 'move out' or something to that effect?"

I thought for a moment. "Ok," I replied**,** a big grin spreading across my face, "move out!" I started toward Junon and the others followed. Cloud sighed and then yawned. I let the girls go ahead, mostly because Aerith had both the backpack and the map, and I let Cloud catch up to me. I noticed he was way behind the others**,** so when I caught up to him I patted him on the back and said, "Almost drowning must have really exhausted you, huh Spiky?" All I got for an answer was a deathly glare from Cloud. Obviously he didn't want to be treated like he was a kid. But I ignored his glare and patted him on the back again. "Don't worry**,**" I gave him a smile, "we're almost there**.**" Cloud responded to this by quickening his pace so that he was ahead of me.

"Hey!" I yelled, running after him**.** "This is how you repay me for saving your life?" Soon he passed the girls and they started running too, but eventually Cloud stopped. He was panting heavily and his legs were shaking so hard it looked like they might collapse at any minute. I was also wheezing a little. "Sorry Cloud," I said, "I think I took it a little too hard on you." I sat down on the ground**.** "I think this would be a good place to rest up a little bit." The girls nodded in agreement. Cloud sat down next to me.

"Zack?" he asked. He was all serious now. He had his signature frown back on his face.

"Yes, Spiky**,**" I answered. He looked into my mako blue eyes.

"Thank you for taking care of me for the past year**,**" he said. I broke eye contact with him by nodding.

"Anytime, Spiky" I replied jokingly, but his expression was still serious. Than Tifa came and stood in front of me.

"I just wanted to tell you that I didn't mean what I had said in the reactor five years ago," she said**,** and I could see that she was holding back tears. "I don't hate you" I stood up and gave her a tight hug.

"I know you didn't mean it," I said, "you were angry, that's all." I looked over to Cloud and I could tell that he was jealous**, **so I let go and she went over to Cloud and sat next to him. I had no idea that Tifa was so upset because she had said she hated me. I knew that she was angry and that she had said something that she didn't mean. I glanced at Cloud. He was fast asleep with the blanket draped over him and his head resting on Tifa's lap. Tifa stroked his blond hair lovingly and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night, Cloud," she whispered into his ear, "I love you."

I walked over to the couple and crouched beside Cloud. "He must be really tired," I said**,** and Tifa nodded as a response. I pressed my hand against his forehead. "Hang in there buddy**,**" I whispered to him.

Then the sentimental moment was suddenly interrupted by my stomach growling. I stood up and rummaged through the backpack for some food**,** and I found a few cans of beans and some soup. The girls and I all enjoyed our meal together. I decided to wait until Cloud woke up to give him his food. He's had a rough day today.

We finally arrived at Junon. It was a dusty old town. Nothing like the Junon I had seen five years ago. We made our way around the town until we came to an old looking building that looked like it might fall apart at any moment. On the front of it was a sign that said 'Clothes and Item Shop.'

The inside of the shop was just as old and dusty as the outside was. An old man stood at the counter. There were several different clothes laid out in various stacks according to size and several Items sprawled out everywhere. I began looking over a stack of men's shirts for me and Cloud. When I decided on some for me**,** I went over to Cloud who was looking at pants. I showed him some of the shirts I thought might look good on him**,** and he agreed with most of them. Then Aerith picked out some dresses for herself**,** and we went over to the clerk.

Once we bought our clothes I asked the clerk if he had any color contacts. I made up the excuse that Tifa couldn't see without contacts and he said that he had some**,** but they aren't cheap. I bought two pairs for five thousand gill, which was even more than the clothes. Hopefully the color contacts would hide Cloud's and my mako blue eye color. We stopped by the local market to get some food to take with us on the voyage, and then came the tricky part. We had to sneak on a ship. It was easy when Cloud and I were in Cos de Sol**,** but in Junon we had to go past a whole building full of infantrymen.

Once we bribed the guy standing guard at the elevator we snuck into the locker room. Cloud and I had not changed out of our SOLDIER uniforms yet so we were disguised**,** but we still had to disguise the girls. They dug through the lockers until they found an Infantryman uniform in their size. Then they shooed us out of the room so that they could change. We were permitted back into the room after a while.

"What do you think?" Aerith asked, showing off her uniform, "Do I make a cute Infantry-woman?" I heard Tifa giggle to herself. Then she nodded and put on her helmet. Aerith proceeded with putting hers on too. I carefully dug through the pile of uniforms and found a SOLDIER 2nd Class helmet for me and a SOLDIER 3rd Class helmet for Cloud. The helmets were Important for hiding our identities. Right now, the whole base knew about the escaped samples**,** and if they knew we were here they wouldn't hesitate to turn us in. We made our way to the more modern part of Junon, the place where the troops and their families live. Then we went to the port. Luckily there was a ship parked in the docks. It was small, which was just what I wanted. I didn't want to draw any attention to myself, so I snuck in when nobody was looking. Then I motioned for the rest of the group to follow.

"Hey**,**" I heard someone yell as they walked over to Tifa**.** "What do you think your doing!" He asked in a rough voice as he grabbed her by the wrist. Tifa used the manliest voice she could manage. I saw her glance at the clipboard that the guy was carrying.

"I'm Bob Foxdale," she replied, "I'm supposed to be on this ship."

The guy looked her over for a bit and said**,** "Okay, but next time, use the front entrance and not the cargo hold**,**" He let go of her wrist and went back over to the entrance. Tifa crawled into the cargo hold with the rest of us. I gave her a thumbs-up and grinned at her. "Once the ship gets going we should be able to get out of the cargo hold," I told everyone, "then we can have a look around**.**"

**Aerith PoV**

The ship started moving**,** and we sat there for a few moments until we were finally sure that we could come out. Then Zack got up and motioned for us to follow. The ceiling was pretty low so we had to crouch down and scoot forward. Then we got to a little trap door in the ceiling. Zack pushed it open**,** and we found ourselves on the deck of the ship.

"Hey!" a voice said. I tensed up, thinking we had been caught. A burly guy came over to us. "What are you guys doing playing around in the cargo hold?" he asked and before any of us had time to respond he added**,** "You should be working. There's a lot to do aboard this ship**.**" He eyed Cloud and Zack. "I don't remember SOLDIER ever being invited onto this ship**,**" he said raising an eyebrow suspiciously. Zack stepped forward and looked the huge man right in the eyes. It seemed that his mako blue eyes intimidated the man the most. They burned into his eyes with a fiery intensity that would only leave ashes in its wake,

"SOLDIER is supposed to board this ship to Wutai where we have a very important mission**.**" Then Zack got up real close to him. I have never seen him that intimidating since I met him. It made my heart flutter. He stared menacingly at the man and said three words, "President ShinRa's orders**.**" The man had started sweating by the time he said those words. He stammered a reply and then walked off, glad to get away from Zack. "Oh!" Zack yelled after him, "And the President says that my friends don't have to do any work." He looked at me, Tifa, and Cloud. "Okay," he said, "you may all explore the ship. Tifa and I took off in one direction while Cloud went in another. I was on a ship that was bound for freedom along with Tifa, Cloud, and Zack.

The next couple of months were uneventful. Cloud kept getting seasickness though, but it was the only hardship we faced on the ship. Zack taught Cloud a trick for motion sickness. Anyway, one night I couldn't sleep. I didn't know if it was from anxiety or just plain restlessness. I went out to the deck, and I was surprised to see that Zack was out there too.

"Can't sleep either?" He asked, turning to face me. I shook my head and sighed. Then he looked out to the water. It was a golden color, as if the sun was spilling out across the vast ocean. It was so beautiful and romantic. He looked back at me and smiledhis adorable puppy-like smile.

"Close your eyes**,**" he said. I did as I was told and closed my eyes. "Do you trust me?" he asked. That answer was obvious.

"Yes**,**" I said**,** "with all my heart**.**" I could feel his footsteps as he moved behind me and locked his fingers with mine. He moved me forward a little.

"Then step up onto the railing**,**" he said. I did just that. I felt a little wobbly, like I was going to fall. Then as if reading my mind**,** Zack said**,** "Don't worry, I won't let you fall." He held me around the waist and then said, "Now spread you wings and open your eyes**.**" By wings I guessed he meant arms**,** so I spread out my arms and then opened my eyes. It was beautiful. It felt like I was flying.

"It's amazing Zack!" I yelled out into the empty sea, "It feels like we're flying**.**" I watched the water. I would really like to really fly one day, but this was very close, like how I imagined it would be. With Zack here my heart was warm and full. I looked at him**,** and he was still smiling down at me with that beautiful sweet smile. I wanted this moment to last forever. I never wanted Zack to go back to being a fugitive and worrying every day of his life that we were going to get caught by ShinRa. Then I noticed an oddly shaped cloud in the corner of my eye. I giggled when I recognized what it looked like. "That cloud looks like a Chocobo**,**" I said when I pointed it out.

"Yeah**,**" he chuckled**,** "kinda like Spiky's hair**.**" I giggled a little myself.

"Don't tell him that**,**" I retorted. Then I pointed out another one**,** "That one looks like a puppy!" I said.

"Really?" Zack asked tilting his head a little, just like a little puppy. "I don't see it**,**" I giggled.

"Its right there," I replied**.** "See, there's the head and the ears and the nose**.**" I traced each shape with my finger so that Zack could understand. He nodded.

"I see now," he said. After a few moments of enjoying the view and pointing out weirdly shaped clouds**,** he helped me down, and then we kissed. It was kind of hard to kiss while we were on the rail, so we kissed afterwards. It was quite a passionate kiss too and it was my first kiss so it was very special. And I couldn't have asked for a better setup. I knew this kiss would leave a feeling in me, one that would last forever. When it got so dark I could barely see his face**,** I said goodbye to him and pressed one last kiss on his cheek. Then, I went to my bedroom.

My dreams that night were all about Zack and the feeling we had when we shared our first kiss.

**Zack PoV **

That kiss was more amazing than anything I could have asked for. I knew that one of the things that Aerith wanted to do was fly. This was as close as I could get**,** yet it was almost as if Aerith and I were the only ones flying high in the sky. When in reality we were on a boat with a handful of people on it. My lips were still tingling after the kiss. I wanted more. My fears and worries disappeared and were replaced with thoughts of Aerith. I sat there for a few minutes thinking of her. Then those thoughts vanished when I saw somebody on the deck. Thanks to my SOLDIER**-**sight I could easily see that it was Cloud. _I wonder what he's doing up?_ I asked myself. I walked over to him. He was leaning over the rail just looking at the ocean.

"Can't sleep huh?" I asked him. He shook his head.

"I have too much on my mind, sadly," he sighed, "I can't get a wink of sleep**.**" He rested his head on his arm**,** which was on the rail**,** while his other arm dangled lazily off the edge. He was watching the water hypnotically. I patted him softly on the back. I made sure not to accidentally push him over the edge of the railing. Cloud's already had enough bad experiences with water. I looked at Cloud, and he jumped as if somebody was sneaking up on him**,** and he turned toward me. He had a gloomy expression on his face for some reason.

"What's the matter Spiky?" Teasingly, I asked, "Did you have a bad dream?" It was only a joke, so I was surprised when he looked up at me and nodded. It was then I noticed that he was shaking all over. His legs were shaking so hard it looked as if they might collapse. It must have been a terrible dream to scare him so much. So I guessed that he was lying about not getting a wink of sleep, unless he meant after the nightmare. All of the happiness I had felt from earlier had completely vanished.

"Can you tell me about your nightmare?" I asked. He locked eyes with me**,** and I kept my stern look. I really wanted to know what could spook him so much. He turned his eyes downward and just looked at the deck for a few minutes. I could see that his eyes were filled with tears. I knew that he was forcing them back. He doesn't want me to see him cry. He looked tired and worn out. Suddenly it started raining, as if the sky was crying for Cloud. I gently placed my hand on his back. He looked up at me. I spoke to him in a soft comforting voice.

"You can tell me Spiky." He looked at me with unsure eyes**,** but then he straightened up and looked me in the eyes. Then, he began his story.

"I found myself in a mako chamber like the ones Hojo kept us in. At first everything was a blur of black and green, then as the haze cleared up, I noticed that I was in the ShinRa mansion basement. Hojo was there too. He was peering at me with his terrible red eyes. Then I was engulfed in mako."

"When the mako cleared, I noticed that I was next to these large rock formations**,** like the ones in the desert near Midgar. Then I noticed that I couldn't move. I was mako poisoned again. Then…I saw you." By this time he had tears pouring out of his eyes. He tried to hide them but, it didn't do any good. He took a huge breath and then continued. "You were standing in front of me, sword out and ready, as if trying to protect me from an invisible enemy. I just squeezed my eyes shut and tried to block out all of the sounds of battle, but they still snuck in.

"When I finally opened my eyes there were only three infantrymen**,** but there were signs that there had been many more. You were beaten and bruised and bleeding from several bullet wounds." His voice became shaky and tinged with pain. "I saw one of the Infantrymen shoot you right in the forehead. I tried to yell; to warn you in some way. But the words just wouldn't come out. I tried to walk over to you and help but I couldn't do that either. I was forced to watch you get killed."

"When the Infantrymen left I found that I could crawl over to you. When I reached you…" He swallowed a lump in his throat. By this time even I started crying. Then he continued, "You told me that I was your living legacy; that I was proof that you existed. You gave me your sword and then… you died. I was so sad and angry at the same time that I just had to let it out in one loud, painful scream. As I did that, your body disappeared and I was swept up by mako once again. Then, when the mako washed away, I found that I was in the Nibelhiem mako reactor. I was in the Jenova chamber and Jenova was actually standing right in front me. Then she said…." He trailed off.

"She said?" I prompted.

"She said…" Then he clutched his side and dropped to his knees. He was breathing in really short ragged breaths.

"Spiky!" I yelled desperately over a crash of thunder. The rain had turned into a full fledged thunderstorm. I bent down and rubbed Cloud's back. Tears were cascading down his cheeks in full force now. Then I tried again to get through to him. "Cloud!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. It was no use. I looked up at Cloud. His eyes were glazed over with pain. I touched his forehead with the back of my hand. He was burning up. I knew that I had to do something. Without thinking I left Cloud and ran to Aerith's room.

"Aerith" I yelled, bursting into the room.

"What?" she yelled sitting bolt upright in her bed

"Where is the thermometer?" I practically screamed with worry. Aerith rubbed her eyes sleepily and pointed in the corner where the backpack sat. I practically tore the backpack apart searching for the thermometer.

"What happened?" Aerith asked. I was still struggling to find the thermometer when I told her.

"Something's wrong with Cloud. I think he has a fever." Aerith gasped and hurried into the next room to wake up Tifa. I was still searching when she came back with Tifa. Then I held up the thermometer in triumph "Aha!" I yelled then I rushed out the door. Aerith and Tifa followed quickly. They knew that this was an emergency and that there wasn't enough time to talk. Before I got to the deck I heard somebody scream.

"NO!" It yelled, "I don't want to die!" Fear clutched at my heart when I realized just who was speaking.

"Cloud!" I heard Tifa yell. I looked behind me. She had tears streaming down her face. I quickened my pace until we went through the door that led to the deck. Then, I stopped in disbelief. Cloud was standing on the railing of the boat. He looked like he was about to jump off. Then I heard Cloud speak again.

"Please!" he begged like a little child "I want to live!" He managed to get enough control over his body to look behind him**,** straight at me. He mouthed three tiny soundless words**,** 'Zack help me'. I dashed toward him. The deck was slippery from all of the rain, which didn't help me at all. I was halfway there when Cloud began to fall. I summoned all my strength to give me an extra speed boost. I caught him just in time and hauled him back over the railing.

Even with my SOLDIER strength it took all three of us to hold Cloud down. Jenova wasn't giving up without a fight. He struggled and clawed and bit but it didn't do any good. It took a long time until Jenova finally gave in and went dormant again. Then I picked Cloud up and took him inside.

When we got to Aerith's room I set him down on the bed**,** but I felt a tug on my shirt. I noticed that Cloud's hand was clutched tightly to my shirt, as if he thought he would never see me again if he let go. He was reluctant at first but then he allowed me to uncurl his fingers. Then, he chose to grab the blanket that Aerith covered him up with. Tifa was whispering comforting words in his ear.

I pulled out the thermometer and stuck it in Cloud's mouth. He didn't have a fever. I think I know what happened though. Jenova must have given Cloud a fever because she knew I would need the thermometer. Then when I had left to get the thermometer, Jenova seized that opportunity to try and kill Cloud. She didn't expect us to come back early. Jenova couldn't control Cloud's speech though**,** so he yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping to get someone's attention. I looked over at Cloud. His eyes were wet with tears and he was still shaking. Tifa's words must have helped a little bit because Cloud had let go of the blanket. Aerith was rubbing the back of his other hand. I didn't know how long Cloud could go on with Jenova in his system. One thing was for sure, I'm not going to let her win.

**A/N: **Hello, It's me again! Just to let everyone know, I am a Cloud fan. I think Infantryman Cloud is so adorable! Anyway, in the next chapter they arrive at Wutai in an unexpected way and the crew meets Yuffie. I think this chapter was more serious than the others. Jenova isn't quite out of Cloud's system yet so, she still gives him problems. I hope all you hardcore FFVII fans out there like the 'lets mosey' part. The titanic part is for my beta **Chibipinkbunny **because she's been so good to me. Oh and here is a disclaimer because I've missed it for so many chapters.

Disclaimer: Everything in this story belongs to Square Enix and the Titanic belongs to White Star.

This chapter came out pretty fast. Anyway, I'm not sure if Bob Foxdale is a celebrity or something. It's just a name I came out with from the top of my head. I'll see you when the next chapter comes out so, until then bye! :3 Oh, and Please Review!


	8. Separation

**A/N: **Chapter Eight is here. Sorry it's late. My family and I had to go to Arizona for a week. But, it's up now! As I mentioned in the previous chapter, Yuffie will be in this chapter. She will only appear a little bit at the end though. I would also like to thank everybody for their reviews. Thank you! :3 If this story hadn't had this many reviews it probably wouldn't have made it this far. Oh, and a big thanks to **Chibipinkbunny** for beta reading this chapter for me! Anyway, you know the drill, this story is in PoV (point of view) format and _this_ means thought, this means writing, and _this_ means singing.

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**Chapter 8****: Separation**

**Zack PoV**

It had been a couple of weeks since Cloud had a Jenova attack. I was worried about him. He seemed really jumpy lately; he would cringe at the slightest sound. He couldn't get any sleep either for fear that he might have nightmares. Despite what happened to Cloud, I still couldn't help thinking about my first kiss with Aerith. But I usually get pulled out of dreamland and back to reality by Cloud who has been getting sick a lot, but it was just minor sickness. He would get a cold one day and then a fever the next. Jenova must have really taken a toll on him. I couldn't help but feel sorry for my spiky-headed best friend. I would do anything to get Jenova out of his system.

One night I went out on the deck to find Cloud standing there, looking up at the stars that glittered in the nighttime sky. I could just make out the shape of the Wutai continent in the distance. The blank stare he had plastered on his face worried me. I thought he had another nightmare, so I approached him carefully. He jumped when he saw me, but when he noticed who it was he calmed down.

"What's the matter Cloud?" I asked and then added, "You didn't have another nightmare, did you?" He shook his head and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I couldn't sleep," he stated. He looked down at the water, "again." I put my hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at me. His mako blue eyes cut deep into my soul like a knife. I felt a pang of sadness when I realized I would never see his normal color eyes ever again. Desperately, I searched for a trace of the old Cloud. When my search came up empty I sighed and looked away from him.

"Zack?" he asked, reaching toward me. Just as he was about to touch my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of something up in the sky. I pushed his hand away and looked upward; searching for the object I thought I had seen. My eyes widened in fear when I found out what it was. A ShinRa brand helicopter was hovering above the boat, cloaked by the darkness. A normal person would have missed it all together, but I was an ex-SOLDIER so it was hard for me to miss things like that. Cloud had seen my worried expression and looked at the sky. I could see complete and utter fear creep onto his face. ShinRa was still after us. I saw a flash of light come from the helicopter. Quickly, I grabbed Cloud and pulled him away from it. We hid behind a barrel on the deck and watched incredulously as the light exploded and tore the deck to pieces. I could see Aerith burst through the door that led to the sleeping quarters.

"Zack!" She called "Cloud! Where are you?!" She coughed through all the smoke. I told Cloud to wait behind the barrel. He nodded and I took off. I ran toward the gray figure that was Aerith. When I reached her, I grabbed her arm. I heard her try to scream, but the smoke was overpowering. I pulled her toward the place where Cloud was hidden. She tried to resist until she caught sight of exactly who it was that was pulling her. She had tears in her eyes because of the smoke and she kept coughing over and over again. When I finally got to Cloud, I could see that he was starting to suffer from the effects of the smoke. I hastily started to move to the back of the boat and the others followed. There was less smoke at the back of the boat, which meant we were free to talk.

"Get on my back," I said to Aerith. She looked a little confused so I added, "We're gonna jump off of this boat." My voice was tinged with both worry and fear. Aerith nodded and started to climb on my back. I looked over at Cloud, and he looked like he was thinking really hard about something. Then a look of horror came over his face.

"Tifa!" he yelled hoarsely. "We forgot Tifa!" In all of the confusion we had forgotten about Tifa. She was probably still in her room sleeping. Aerith got off of my back, and I started to run over to the door that would take me below the deck, but Cloud held out his hand to stop me.

"I want to be the hero this time," was all he said, and I understood. After a life of successive failures, he wanted to do something good for a change. At least that's what he was thinking. I was almost sure of it. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Good luck" I murmured just loud enough to be audible. He looked into my eyes for a moment. Then Aerith got on my back and I stepped up onto the railing.

"Oh," Aerith called over her shoulder, "Don't forget the backpack!" Cloud nodded, and before I could have any doubts, he pushed me into the frigid water. It was freezing cold and it made my long forgotten shoulder wound flare back to life. I fought valiantly against the strong waves that rammed against me. The salt water stung my eyes so that I could barely see where I was going. Aerith was clutching my neck so hard that I thought she might suffocate me. I couldn't blame her. She was scared. Scared of the waves that licked at her dress, scared of the rain that was now pouring out of the sky, but she was also scared for Cloud. This incident reminded me of that day, three months ago, when I had left Cloud in the hands of a stranger so that I could fight off all of the infantrymen that were pursuing us. _I had abandoned Cloud back then..._ I thought _was I abandoning him now?_ But, I pushed those thoughts away and just kept swimming. Right now, my only concern was getting Aerith to safety. I felt a sharp pain as I noticed that the bandage that was tied around my shoulder came undone. A fresh new pain pierced the wound. The bloodstained cloth drifted freely in the water. Despite the pain, I looked behind me just in time to see Cloud's lean figure disappearing into the smoke. I looked back and saw the water flash orange and through all the rain and thunder I could hear a faint "boom". The helicopter must have fired another shot. I looked back one last time only to see the ship covered in flames.

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**Cloud PoV**

I struggled desperately to breathe as I made my way deep into the ship. When I got to Tifa's room, I felt the door with the back of my hand. It didn't feel hot, which meant that the fire hadn't penetrated that far into the ship yet, but the smoke certainly did. I heard a female voice yell for help. I opened the door to find Tifa in a corner surrounded by smoke.

"Cloud!" She yelled before falling into a fit of coughing. I ran over to her and helped her up. Her legs were wobbly but, she could stand. I grabbed the backpack and told her to put it on. After she did, I started toward the door. She tried to follow but collapsed on the floor, unable to stand up any longer. I picked her up and put her on my back. She was still coughing and her arms were wrapped firmly around my neck.

I headed out the door. The fire had reached the hallway that I had come through. I turned to my other side to see that there was fire there too. We were surrounded. I could feel my body temperature rising, almost as if I had another fever. I looked over at Tifa. _This is it_, I thought, _Tifa_ _and I are going to perish together._ I wished I could at least save Tifa. I felt Tifa shift, and I saw her reach into her pocket.

"Here," She said weakly as she held out her hand, "use this." There was something in the palm of her hand. I took it from her and examined it. It was the blizzard materia that Tifa had used when I had a fever. I clutched it tight and turned to the flames that were devouring the boat. I held out my fist and summoned forth the ice element stored within the materia. I squeezed my eyes shut and concentrated. I could hear a faint crackle. I opened my eyes to see the materia in my hand light up and shoot a blue substance at the fire. When the ice made contact with the flames, they froze so that they looked like spikes shooting up from the floor and walls. I ran down the hallway, dodging icy stalagmites as I went. When I got on the deck, the boat was completely engulfed in flames. The rain did little to soothe the raging fire. There was only a small space of railing left. It was now or never.

"Hang on!" I called to Tifa. I ran to the rail and jumped over it. We fell into the freezing cold water. I struggled to keep my head above water. I already felt dizzy from the smoke and even with my SOLDIER strength I was exhausted, but I still kept going. I couldn't see Zack anywhere, and I guessed he was long gone. Zack was not the kind to give up easily, and that's what I admired about him. He was the optimistic type, even when everything went wrong. I suddenly started to regret my decision to save Tifa myself. I wished Zack was doing the rescuing, he would be better than a second rate infantryman who has SOLDIER qualities. I could feel myself fading away. I was barely able to hold myself above the water. My limbs ached and my lungs burned. Tifa was so quiet I might have thought that she had passed out if not for the arms that were still wrapped around me. Tifa could tell that I was getting weak.

"Don't give up!" she yelled in my ear. Although I could barley make it out over the noise of the thunder. Those words gave me strength. I fought harder against the waves that violently crashed into me. I could see land just ahead of me. I made one final push in that direction before relaxing my body, hoping that the waves would carry us the rest of the way. I looked behind me and saw Tifa's worried face.

"Tifa" I said through a mouthful of water. Eventually, my body gave in to exhaustion, and I blacked out.

*~*~*~*

My eyes fluttered open and I was greeted by Tifa's concerned face peering down at me. "Cloud?" she asked cautiously. I replied with a groan. Tifa helped me sit up. My body was reluctant to do so. It was still tired, and I wanted nothing more than to collapse on a bed and go to sleep. Even sleeping on the ground seemed nice at this point. It was still dark, but my SOLDIER sight allowed me to see every detail of the shoreline. I spotted the backpack a few feet behind me. I crawled over to it and searched for the blanket. When I found it and gave it to Tifa. Then I got a blanket for myself and curled up with it. The air was cold because I had just gotten out of the water. Tifa wrapped her arms around me in an attempt to comfort me. Her warm embrace silenced the shivers that wracked my body. I looked at her and she smiled back at me.

"We'll be ok," she whispered in my ear, "I just know it." I wished I could share her confidence. We were miles away from Wutai and we were running out of food, but those worries could wait. I needed to get some sleep or I might faint from fatigue. I made myself comfortable by laying my head on Tifa's lap like a pillow. I breathed in her sweet familiar scent, and then I closed my eyes and let sleep overtake me.

******************

**Zack PoV**

The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was the sharp pain in my shoulder. I winced as I sat up. The sun was rising over the ocean, painting the sky with hues of reds and oranges. But I couldn't stop and admire the scenery when Aerith was nowhere to be found. I looked further up the shore and was relieved to find her sitting there in her sopping wet clothes. She immediately got up when she noticed me looking at her. I felt another sharp prick, and I covered my right shoulder with my left hand. Seconds later I felt Aerith place her hand on my back and help me sit up.

"Zack?" she asked, "are you alright?" I looked at my left hand. There was blood on it. Aerith gasped when she noticed my hand. Then she peeked at my right shoulder and turned away from me. "You're hurt..." she said sadly. I put my left arm around her, and she looked back up at me. Her eyes met mine.

"It will be alright" I said to her, "we'll be fine" She nodded, her eyes full of tears. Then she gave me a big hug. She let go after a while and then stood up. She helped me up, and I walked around, surveying the beach for a basic idea of where we were. I suddenly wished I had the map with me. Then my thoughts shifted to Cloud. I hoped more than anything that he and Tifa had survived. I started to regret leaving him all alone on the sinking ship. I would never forgive myself if Cloud had died because I had made the wrong decision. Suddenly I stopped walking. Aerith came up beside me.

"What are we going to do now?" She asked looking at me with a worried expression. That was a good question. I estimated that we were near Wutai and that if Cloud had escaped the burning ship, he would have landed further down the shore. We could go after him, but it might take days to get to the spot where he is and by then he might have already left. I needed to get my wound re-bandaged as soon as possible.

"We should go to Wutai" I replied "I need to get this injury re-bandaged." But then Aerith shook her head.

"What about Cloud?" She asked.

"If he has any sense left in him at all, he would head toward Wutai" I answered. "Besides, he has the backpack with him. It contains food and blankets and even a map. We're probably worse off than he is." I concluded. But I wasn't sure about that. In my mind I kept thinking about Cloud and how he could have possibly died to save Tifa. And then Aerith looked into my eyes.

"What if he gets hurt?" She asked. She had a valid point but, I needed to get to Wutai. I was worried that the wound might get infected if I leave it uncovered for more that a couple of days.

"Tifa will help him" I mumbled under my breath. Then Aerith held my gaze. She looked into my eyes and I could see tears in hers.

"What if he has a Jenova attack?" Aerith asked softly, "your best friend could die and you don't care." It was more of a statement than a question. I looked away with guilty eyes. Aerith looked at me with eyes full of sadness, a silent plea to help Cloud.

"Alright," I said, "We'll see if we can find him." I started walking, but was brought down to my knees by a sharp pain that came from my shoulder. Aerith put her arms around my waist in an attempt to help me up. I covered my right shoulder. I knew I needed to avoid putting too much pressure on it or I might reopen the wound. I held up one finger to Aerith, telling her to wait a minute, and then I undid my suspenders and took off my shirt. I could see Aerith blush a little when I put my suspenders back on.

"Temporary bandage," I said and she nodded. I would have to hold my shirt on my shoulder all the way to wherever Cloud is, then all the way to Wutai. I stood up and looked in the direction where I thought Cloud was. I stared at the clouds drifting in the blue sky. "Cloud," I whispered, "Wherever you are, I hope you're still alive"

******************

**Cloud PoV**

When I awoke it was around midday, and the sun was high in the sky. I felt movement underneath me. I didn't know what it was until my mind cleared, and I remembered that I fell asleep on Tifa's lap. I could feel her running her fingers through my hair absent-mindedly. It felt soothing; it reminded me of when Aerith had looked after me in her church. I wondered if she and Zack were able to escape the wreckage and if they did, how long could they survive without food or clean water. I hoped that my best friend was okay, and that I would be able to see him again. This was just like the time that Zack had left me with the truck driver so that he could protect me from a bunch of infantrymen. Zack had always been there for me, even in the darkest of times. He had protected me for an entire year and then had seen to it that the girls and I had arrived at Junon safely. He saved me from a Jenova attack twice and helped me to recover from countless fevers. I really did owe my life to him. He was my one and only best friend.

I stirred and sat up. I felt a little light-headed and silently hoped that I wasn't having another fever.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Tifa said playfully. I glanced at her before my eyes went over to the backpack. My stomach was growling with hunger, so I went over to the backpack and began to look inside it. After I pulled out something for breakfast I folded up the blanket and put it back in. Then I made my way over to Tifa. I had slept through half of the day, so it was actually lunch time. I didn't eat much of my lunch and my stomach started to ach a little, so after brunch, I checked my temperature with the thermometer. It read about one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit. "Great…" I murmured under my breath. I saw Tifa move toward me and I hastily shoved thermometer back in the backpack.

"What's wrong?" I heard her ask, with a look of worry clear on her face.

"Nothing," I replied. I didn't want Tifa to worry about me. I had to get us both to Wutai. I flashed a little smile at her and she stood up. Then she grabbed the backpack and flung it over her shoulder.

"We better get going," she said softly as she pulled out the map. I stood up and walked over to her. She studied the map carefully for a few minutes before folding it up and putting it away. Then, without a word, she strode off in the direction of Wutai. I went at a slower pace because I had an upset stomach and she had the map. Zack and Aerith were probably closer to Wutai than we were since he left the boat earlier than we did. Hopefully, we would meet Zack and Aerith there. I looked up at the sky and whispered a message for the wind to carry on to Zack.

"I wish, more than anything, that you make it to Wutai safely."

******************

**Aerith's PoV **

It was almost getting dark when we found a sign that meant that Cloud was still alive. There were traces of footprints left in the sand. Upon further inspection, Zack recognized them as footprints made from a standard ShinRa brand boot. He compared it with his own to find that he was right. The tracks went in a northeast direction. Cloud and Tifa had already left for Wutai. All we have to do is follow them to Wutai. They probably had the map so they would know where they are going. I was really hungry. Zack decided to stop and look for something for dinner. He told me to wait by the tracks so that we don't lose their position. I nodded and he disappeared into the trees. Moments later, he came back with a handful of berries.

"It's not a lot," he said, "but it'll help us keep our strength up." I nodded to my raven-haired boyfriend in response. He gave me the majority of the berries and took the rest for himself. I just looked down at the berries in my hand with a sad expression on my face.

"Don't worry," Zack said. "They're not poisonous." To prove it, he stuck one in his mouth. I took Zack's word for it and ate one of mine. When we had finished, Zack started walking away and motioned for me to follow. "Come on," Zack said. "We better get moving before Cloud gets too far ahead of us." I nodded and followed Zack, who had a pained expression on his face. That wound was causing him a lot of trouble, I could tell by the look in his eyes. But, he still pressed on, determined to get me to Wutai.

******************

**Cloud PoV **

"Are you done yet?"

"Almost."

"Well hurry up!" Tifa huffed from behind a tree. I was changing into the clothes we bought at Junon and Tifa was getting impatient to try on her clothes. She still had the ShinRa grunt uniform on. I will never understand girls and why they like to have so many different outfits. When I stepped out from behind the tree, I was dressed in slightly fitted pants and a loose T-shirt. I let Tifa have her turn while I put the color contacts in my eyes. Zack had chosen a color that was close to my original eye color. I took my temperature again while Tifa was changing. It said I had a fever of one hundred and one degrees. It had gone up one whole degree since last time. That was definitely not good. My stomach still hurt and my head ached. I was exhausted and my legs were starting to hurt. Basically I felt like I had just been run over by a truck but, I tried to hide all of my pain for Tifa's sake. Tifa came out from behind the tree just as I had put the thermometer away.

"How do I look?" She asked.

"Good" I replied, and I wasn't lying. She did look good. She had on a cropped white T-shirt and a blue mini skirt. Then I put on the backpack, took her hand and started walking toward Wutai.

*~*~*~*

When we finally got to Wutai we spread out to look for Zack and Aerith. I went into the weapon shop and asked if anyone had seen a guy with black-spiked hair. Then a glint of light on metal caught my eye. There was a sword on the wall just above the counter. It stood out from the others because it was huge, almost the size of Zack's Buster Sword. It was mechanical and polished so much that I could see myself it. I approached the shopkeeper. He looked up from a book he was reading.

"Hello," he asked. "What would you like to buy?"

"How much is that sword up there" I pointed to the sword. He looked behind him at the sword. I didn't miss the gleam of pride in his eye.

"Ah yes, that is Tsurugi," he said, bursting with pride. "That is my most expensive sword," he said taking it down and putting it on the counter. "I made it myself and it comes apart into six different swords." I stared in awe at the shimmering blade and in my reflection I could see my jaw drop a little. It was like a better version of Zack's sword, and I wanted it.

"How much is it?" I asked, trying to hide the eagerness in my voice.

"It's two-hundred thousand gil," he said. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a the measly amount of money, but it was all I had. We needed it to buy Tifa and me something to eat and a place to rest. "So," I heard the shopkeeper speak up, "do you want it?" Slowly I shook my head and walked out of the shop. When I got outside I could see Tifa run up to me.

"Cloud!" she called. When she caught up to me, she was out of breath. Before she had gathered enough breathe to say something I interrupted her.

"Please don't call me by my real name," I whispered. Then I gestured to myself, "Call me Sky."

"Alright Sky," she winked at me "I asked all around for Zack and nobody's seen him," she said.

"How does that help us?" I questioned, my head still pounding like crazy. She held her hand out in front of me.

"I'm not finished yet," she said, wagging a finger at me. "Somebody said that the leader of Wutai, Lord Godo, might know," she paused before continuing, "unfortunately, it is a tradition in Wutai that all visitors who want to speak to Lord Godo have to battle the five strongest warriors including Lord Godo himself. Apparently he is at the pagoda on the other side of town." She pointed to the building in the distance that was taller than all of the others. She grabbed my hand and started to pull me toward it but, I refused.

"No Tifa," I said, "We'll do that tomorrow. Right now, we need to find a place to rest."

"Okay," she said as she ran off down a street, observing the various signs along the way. When she was out of the way, I felt my forehead again. It was really warm. I sighed and looked down at the ground. My throat felt like it was on fire but, I didn't know weather it was from the fever or from dehydration. _What am I supposed to do?_ I questioned myself. _I don't want Tifa to worry about me and I don't think that I could fight this fever alone._ I looked up to see Tifa running toward me, exclaiming that she had found an inn for us to stay in. _Oh well_ I shrugged _Maybe I'll feel better after a warm meal and a good nights sleep…_

_****************** _

**Zack PoV**

We had been walking for what seemed like hours when we came upon Wutai. We were really hungry and our feet ached. I would give anything to just find a nice comfy bed and lay down. I had to fight just to keep myself awake. We had been walking for two days straight without sleeping. That was how determined we were to reach Wutai and hopefully reunite with Cloud and Tifa. Aerith and I made a plan to ask everybody in town about Cloud and Tifa But that plan would never be put into action because at that very instant I heard a startlingly familiar voice come from behind me.

"Hello SOLDIER boy," she said. "Long time no see."

******************

**A/N: **There you have it! Chapter 8, finally. It was late because I was computer-deprived for a week while my family and I went to Arizona. I think anybody who has read the Author's note and has played Crisis Core knows just who I am talking about. The ending was a little rough to write though because I was preoccupied reading a Fanfic. But, I finally got it all done! :3 Again, thanks to all who review, you guys really make my day! Oh, and special thanks to **nxkris** for giving me the idea to include Tsurugi in this chapter. I made a profile with themes! If you guys want to check it out then you're more than welcome. I would also love it if you used one of my themes. :3 And please remember to review! Ok, so until chapter 9, Bye!


	9. Challenge

**A/N: **Hello, and welcome to chapter 9 of Freedom! First off I would like to thank **chibipinkbunny** for helping me with my grammar. If any of you have the time, please read her fanfic. Actually it was her fanfiction story that inspired this whole story so, without her fic, my fic wouldn't even exist. Second, I would like to thank all my reviewers**!** Be warned, there will be a lot of Yuffie in this chapter. Anyway, this story is in PoV (point of view) format and _this_ means thought, this means writing, and _this_ means singing.

**Chapter 9: Challenge**

**Zack PoV**

"Hello SOLDIER boy," she said with an air of arrogance, "looks like we meet again." I looked behind me to see a figure standing at the top of the stairway leading to a pagoda style house. She was wearing a white cloak that covered her face. I already knew who it was, but I let her make her dramatic entrance anyway. She pulled the cloak off. Her quirky smile was the same, but everything else had changed. The last time I saw her, she was only a kid, but now she was a teenager. Suddenly, she started walking toward me in long graceful strides, but after a few steps, she slipped and rolled down the stairs. I was standing at the bottom so she ran right in to me and knocked me over. She clutched her head and watched me as I got up. The wound in my shoulder had started to burn and I struggled to hold the shirt in place.

"Hey, watch it SOLDIER boy. You're in my way." She said teasingly. A little smile tugged at her lips, but it was gone as soon as her eyes landed on the shirt covering my wound. She had a look in her eyes that I had never seen on her before. I shifted my shoulder so that it was out of her sight. Quickly, she composed herself and stood up, still rubbing the bump that had started to form on her head. "So," she asked, "what brings you to Wutai? Here to take something else away from us?" I shook my head and started to say something but was cut off by Aerith.

"We're looking for a friend" she replied.

"Have you seen a guy with spiky blonde hair?" I asked curiously.

Yuffie closed her eyes and shook her head. It was a bit disappointing to hear that Yuffie hadn't heard of Cloud. I was hoping that he would make it here without something terrible happening to him.

"Why don't you guys come inside?" she asked as she gestured toward the house on top of the stairs. "You guy's look tired and I could help fix up that nasty wound you have." She pointed to my shoulder. Aerith looked at me and I nodded.

"That sound's like a good idea, Yuffie," I said.

She nodded in response. She turned around and headed up the stairs with Aerith and me trailing close behind. Yuffie seemed very childlike to me, as if she hadn't changed one bit from when she was a kid. She still had that mischievous gleam in her eyes and that innocent smile that she used to wear. She had grown a lot over the last five years and she was almost as tall as Aerith was. She stopped right in front of the house, which seemed to be a detached part of a much larger building, to fish out her keys and then she opened the door.

Her house looked like any other Wutaian house, except that it was elaborately decorated with tons of items. It looked rather messy and disorganized. There were books and papers piled in heaps in the corners, and there was a table near the front of the house that had more books stacked on it, along with various utensils and random items. There was a screen that separated the front of the house from the back of the house, and behind it was a futon. The bed made me realize how tired I really was. I felt like I could fall asleep right there, but I wanted to stay awake so that I could talk to Yuffie and see if she might know where Cloud was. Yuffie cleared off the table and pulled over a cushion for me to sit on, and then she got one for Aerith to use. Then she walked over to her desk and pulled a first-aid kit out of one of the drawers.

"Dr. Yuffie is at your service!" She said. I didn't like the idea of Yuffie fixing my wound. I wondered if there was any alternative. I didn't think Yuffie knew very much about cleaning and bandaging an open wound.

"No, offense Yuffie," I said, "but, is there somebody else I could ask?"

"Why can't I do it?" She whined. "I know how to be a doctor!"

"I seriously doubt that." I calmly replied. I knew that that was a little harsh, but I wasn't in the mood for Yuffie's antics. She looked a little hurt but then covered it up by putting that impish grin back on her face.

"Well, we have family doctors" she said, "They are sworn to secrecy and if they break that oath, they will be severely punished by my father, but I seriously doubt they'll do as good a job as I would have." She emphasized the 'seriously doubt' part.

I nodded, wondering why she didn't tell me that in the first place. Perhaps she was playing a joke on me. I wouldn't put it past her. I needed professional help and as far as I knew, Yuffie didn't know much about proper wound care.

"Alright then," Yuffie said, sighing as if she was forced to do something tough, "I'll go get him." As she said this, she gathered up her things and left. "Oh," she said as she poked her head through the door, "feel free to use my bed." Then she left and a wave of exhaustion swept over me. I had tried not to nod off while Yuffie was talking, but apparently she had seen how sleepy I was. I crawled over to the bed and lay down. Then I began to fall into a deep uneasy sleep.

**Cloud PoV**

I opened my eyes and found myself in a place that was all too familiar. I was inside the Jenova chamber in the reactor. I was on the lower platform that had a red pipe that extended outward, connecting it to the platform where Jenova should have been. The problem was that she wasn't there. I ran up to the container, examining the glass for any cracks or signs of escape.

There were none.

An ear-piercing scream came from the room that was connected to the one I was in. My eyes widened as I recognized the voice. I rushed down the pipe, but it grew thinner for some reason. Soon it grew too thin for me to stand on and my foot slipped. I reached for the lower platform, stretching my arm to the point where I thought it was going to break. My hand finally grabbed the metal of the platform, and I tried to lift myself up. My strength was failing, and my grip was slipping. In a matter of minutes I knew I would find myself plummeting to the mako below.

Just then, another scream echoed off of the walls. I felt fury consume me. Whoever was hurting my friend was going to pay. I tried again and let out a groan of frustration when my weak body would not comply. I tried swinging myself from side to side, to see if I can get enough momentum to get my leg onto the edge. Success! My left leg hit the platform, and after that the rest of my body followed suit until I was on the platform at last. I wanted to rest, but as I lay in a crumpled heap on my back I heard the scream again. It sounded worse this time, like they were in even more pain. With anger egging me on, I stood up. Every muscle in my body ached and my arms were burning, but I had to help my friend out. I turned toward the open door and readied myself. I charged on through, but stopped just short of the familiar stairs that led to the entrance of the reactor.

There was nobody there.

I looked around for, the person that had screamed, but I couldn't find him. Thoroughly confused now, I wandered toward the entrance. _I thought I heard screaming coming from this room just a second ago._ _I wonder if it came from outside. . ._ I opened the door and held my breath in preparation for what I might see.

I didn't see anything except for a blazing fire in the distance.

I choked back tears as I realized that my hometown was burning to the ground. I fell to my knees and stared at the smoldering fire. I couldn't believe it. I heard another ear piercing scream come from inside the reactor and forgot about the fire completely. Quickly, I charged inside to find that the small room wasn't empty anymore. I looked straight into the eyes of Sephiroth. I backed up a few steps and ended up almost tripping on the stairs that led to the ground beneath the reactor. I caught myself just in time.

Then I surveyed the scene before me. Sephiroth was standing in front of me, his piercing green eyes filled to the brim with anger and hatred. He had his Masamune clutched tightly in his left hand. I noticed that there was fresh blood dripping on the end of it, as if he had just killed someone. My stomach clenched when I noticed who was behind him.

Jenova.

She was disguised as a beautiful woman with long blonde hair. The fake Cetra was standing at the top of the stairs and looked quite pleased with herself. Beside her lay Zack in a heap in the ground. He was heavily wounded and bruised in some places. I knew I had to get to my best friend Zack , but Sephiroth was blocking my way. Suddenly, Sephiroth held out his hand, and the Buster Sword materialized out of thin air.

"Fight for your friend's life," he said, holding the sword out, "that is, if you value it." The anger took hold of me, and I seized the sword. I lunged, intent on chopping him in two, but he blocked me easily. I fought to keep control over my sword and hold it in place, but he overpowered me. I slid off the landing and fell down the stairs onto the dusty ground. He jumped off of the stairs and landed gracefully in front of me. I grimaced as a horrible pain shot through my stomach. He had impaled me with his Masamune. He now held me up in the air. My feet were a few inches off of the floor. I could feel my strength slipping away.

"Very well," Sephiroth said, "you have chosen your friend's fate." He threw me off his sword and turned toward the entrance of the reactor. I hit a nearby rock and then fell to the ground and just lay there, unable to get up.

I turned my attention to the doorway when I saw somebody step through it, Jenova. She stepped into the sunlight dragging Zack along with her. All traces of her disguise were gone and she was in her true form. Her skin was pale blue and she had a helmet on that had her name on it. Trailing from her helmet was long silver hair, just like Sephiroth. She has glowing red eyes that had pupils that were so tiny that they were almost nonexistent. Protruding from her back were hideous fleshy wing-shaped objects. For her, ugly would be an understatement. Zack was in horrible condition and got even worse when Jenova threw him down the stairs. He only made it halfway down though.

Jenova calmly walked down the stairs, grabbed him by the hair, and dragged him down the rest of the way. He emitted a loud, painful groan when he reached the bottom. I tried to close my eyes: to block out my friends suffering, but I couldn't. It was as if invisible hands were holding my eyes open. Tears leaked out of my eyes to keep them from drying up, but I knew that that wasn't the only reason. I was crying for my best friend Zack. I knew that he was going to die yet; I was too weak to stop it. I struggled to move, but I just couldn't.

I watched as Jenova put Zack in place and Sephiroth readied his sword. Just then Zack woke up. With another painful groan, he opened his eyes only to be greeted by the tip of Sephiroth's sword pointing down to him and Sephiroth grinning maliciously on the other end. I saw Zack's eyes widen with fear. Then, his eyes shifted over to me.

"Help me, Cloud" He said in a whisper before Sephiroth decided to finish him off.

More tears filled my eyes as I watched Zack's eyes close forever. Sephiroth had killed him and I knew I was next, but at this point I didn't care. I couldn't live in a world without Zack. I suddenly found that I could blink and move again. I pushed beyond my limit to get over to Zack. When I finally reached him, I reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Zack," I cried knowing that he couldn't hear me, "ZACK!" I yelled again as loud as my weakened lungs would allow. Hearing no response, I pressed his cold hand to my cheek. Then I saw a pair of black boots in front of me. I looked up to see Sephiroth smiling down at me.

"Remember Cloud," he said again, "you chose his fate for him" And with a simple gesture of his hand, we were surrounded by flames. I couldn't do anything now, I was paralyzed by fear. I saw Sephiroth raise his sword and prepare to strike, but he never got to.

At that very moment time seemed to halt, and I heard a far off voice calling to me. It felt comforting and familiar. I wrapped myself in that voice, never wanting to let go, and it got louder and louder as time went on.

"Cloud!"

I saw the scene before me dissolve into particles leaving only a bright white light behind. Zack started to disappear from my sight. It pained me to let him go. Ignoring the voice, I tried desperately to hold on as the last few particles of his fingers disappeared.

"No!" I cried out, "Zack, don't leave me!" Then the voice became really loud, as if the person was shouting at me. Suddenly I felt myself being shaken roughly.

"Cloud, wake up! You're having a bad dream" Then it all came back to me. Wutai, the ship, Aerith, Tifa.

Everything.

When I opened my eyes I was greeted by Tifa's worried face staring at my own. She looked like she was about to cry. I reached one arm out to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm fine" I said, trying to hide the shakiness in my voice, "It was just a bad dream." It was too late, a tear leaked through.

"You were yelling in your sleep Cloud," She said, "you were yelling about Zack." She paused before continuing. "Did something happen to him in your dream?"

"No" I lied, but she didn't look convinced "Well… yes something did happen," I told her, "but it's only a dream." I glanced at the clock beside the bed and then back at Tifa, "You should get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

She nodded and lay down on her side of the bed. I proceeded to cover myself up and tried to get some sleep too. When the panic of the nightmare left me, and I was falling into a peaceful sleep, my headache came back. I realized that my fever hadn't broken yet. I sighed and buried my head in my pillow, willing my headache to go away. I could tell already that this was going to be a long night. Tifa had apparently heard me sigh because; I suddenly heard the rustle of sheets being moved and I felt soft arms curl around my waist.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Tifa whispered into my ear.

"Yea," I said, "It's just a little headache. It'll be gone by morning." There was a short silence and then Tifa spoke.

"Are you sure you want to fight those Wutaian warriors tomorrow?"

"It's the only way to find Zack" I replied.

"We could search for him some more," She replied "I'm sure somebody has seen him." I shook my head and, although I couldn't see Tifa, I knew that she had a sad look on her face. She buried her head in my blond hair. "I just don't want anything to happen to you" Her words came out muffled, but I still understood them.

"Nothing will happen" I said confidently.

"But-" She started.

"Nothing will happen." I repeated, this time a little bit louder. I could feel that the back of my hair was wet and I turned around. Tifa was crying. I used my thumb to wipe a tear off of her face. Then I held her head in my hands.

"I'll be fine," I whispered softly to her, "don't worry about me." She opened her mouth to argue, but apparently decided against it. "You better get some sleep." I said to her before glancing at the alarm clock on my nightstand. "It's already two o'clock in the morning" She smiled at me. Then she closed her eyes and laid her head on the pillow. I turned over and tried to get some sleep too. Moments later I felt those same warm arms wrap around me again and I felt Tifa's gentle breath on my neck. I was able to fall asleep in a matter of minutes and I stayed asleep all night.

**Zack PoV **

I winced as the doctor made the final stitch in my shoulder and cut the thread. I looked away as he finished mending my wound. Instead I looked at Aerith's silhouette behind the screen. She had not wanted to stick around to watch the doctor patch me up and I couldn't blame her. I didn't watch the procedure at all and I tried not to make any sound so as to not disturb Aerith. When I was finally asked to stand I felt a lot better. Yuffie thanked the doctor and reminded him of the oath he took before asking him to leave. He nodded and did as he was told. Cautiously I peeked around the screen separating the table from the bed. Aerith was fast asleep. I almost melted when I saw how peaceful she looked. Trying not to wake her, I crept my way back to the table. Yuffie joined me in a few moments, after she filled a kettle up with water and set it on her small stove. Apparently, she was going to make tea. Once at the table I decided to question her.

"So," I asked casually, "Why does your family have its own private doctor?" I knew that most people in Wutai probably couldn't pay for their own doctor. She took in a long breath before answering.

"My father is the king of Wutai" She replied. "Wait," I said "If he's king then, that would make you a-"

"Princess" She cut me off, knowing exactly what I was going to say. "But I don't want to be a princess. The pampered and spoiled life isn't for me. I want to explore the world and find all kinds of rare materia. Then, I want to bring them home to Wutai so that it could be the flourishing tourist destination that it once was." She had her head down on the table and was looking at a random item, obviously trying to avoid making eye contact with me.

"I'd be glad to invite you to join our team" I said, feeling sorry for her, "if it's alright with Aerith." I have a weak spot for sad girls, even annoying wannabe ninja princesses.

She perked up instantly, "Can I have any materia that you don't use?"

I nodded and smiled at her as she bounced around happily, like a hyper puppy. Then, I remembered that Aerith was asleep and got the ninja to calm down a little. She reminded me of myself when I was first employed in the ShinRa military. _Zero percent attention span and as restless as a little puppy_, I could practically hear Angeal saying. I smiled even wider and chuckled to myself. Then, my thoughts were interrupted by the kettle going off. She almost bounced over to the kettle, but took special care in removing it from the stove. "There's only one thing I'm good at making." she said, "and its tea."

She mixed in all of the ingredients and gave me a cup. I winced as the hot liquid touched my throat but then it became soothing. It rejuvenated my aching limbs. Yuffie gave me a quizzical expression. I knew that she wanted to know if her tea tastes good. I gave her a thumbs-up. She jumped for joy, only to receive another "Shush!" from me. _Wow _I thought _I am turning into Angeal. _I realized that Angeal probably had to put up with this every day. That would give me a headache for sure. Yuffie sat down across from me and started sipping on her tea. We were quiet for a moment as I started thinking about all that I have been through. Then, my thoughts shifted to Cloud. There was a question burning in my mind. _Where was he? _Thoughtfully I put down the glass and spoke.

"Yuffie," she looked up from her glass, "Do you know where my friend might have gone?" She looked like she was thinking really hard. Then, she came up with an answer.

"To my father's pagoda of course," she said, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world, "That's where all of the new visitors go when they want to speak with my father." She nodded to herself. "But first they have to win against Wutai's five greatest warriors"

"But why would Cloud want to speak to your father?" I asked.

Yuffie shrugged. "People around here think my father knows everything" She replied, "maybe they told him that my father might know where you were."

I nodded. "Maybe they did."

We sat there just talking and telling each other stories. I mainly told her about the days when I was in SOLDIER so as not to ruin the mood. She told me about how her horrible it's been since ShinRa took over her father's territory. This just made me hate ShinRa even more. Eventually I had to express to Yuffie exactly how much I hated ShinRa and she thought of all kinds of questions. Those questions shattered my good mood into a million pieces. It had me recalling the most painful of memories that happened over the last five years as I relayed them to Yuffie. I kept some info to myself though. I didn't even tell her about the incident of the reactor. By the time I was done, Yuffie stared at me with wide eyes.

"Wow," she breathed, "you guys went through a lot" She had a spark of admiration in her hazel eyes.

"It wasn't as easy as you think," I said quickly before Yuffie got the wrong idea, "Cloud kept getting sick and having Jenova attacks"

"Jenova attacks?"

"Yea… He's only had two of them, but they keep getting more powerful."

"Why?" she asked. I took in a deep breath before answering.

"Jenova wants to posses him" I said sadly. This information earned me a sad look from Yuffie. She was speechless for a while and just sat there. She looked relieved when Aerith finally stirred from her slumber. I saw her stand up and peeked behind the screen.

"Zack," she said groggily, "have you found out where Cloud might be?"

"Yuffie said that he might be at the pagoda," I said. "Chances are that he's looking for us and he has to go through five of Wutai's strongest fighters to get to the one person that he thinks might have it."

Aerith paused for a moment, apparently trying to process the new information in her half-asleep state. Then I pointed to Yuffie and added "oh, and she's the princess of Wutai." Aerith's jaw dropped a little.

"You don't seem like royalty," She commented.

"I don't want to be royalty," Yuffie replied. "It's really boring." I gestured to her once again.

"Aerith," I said, "would you mind if Yuffie joined our team?"

Aerith tried to stifle a yawn and then answered. "I don't mind. At least until we find Cloud"

Yuffie began bouncing in her seat again upon hearing this good news. She was grinning from ear to ear and if she had a tail, it would be wagging by now. I heard an amused chuckle come from Aerith as she took a seat next to me. Once she calmed down, she asked if we would like some breakfast. Aerith and I both nodded at the same time and burst out laughing.

After breakfast the three of us headed out the door and down the steps. When we finally got down all of the steps Yuffie spoke.

"See that tall building there" She pointed to a large building with an ornately decorated red roof and I nodded, "That's my dad's pagoda" She grabbed my hand and pulled me off towards the smaller buildings. "Come on, I'll show you a shortcut!"

**Cloud PoV**

_I don't know how much more of this I can take_,I thought to myself as I dodged a punch from my opponent. _Maybe I should just quit_.He came at me again with a kick and when I tried to block that he tried to punch me. I managed to avoid the blow just in time. _No, I can't give up now_. I felt a fiery intensity burning my arm and noticed that he had just cast a fire spell on me. I put the fire out by casting blizzard on myself and then jumped back into the fray. I threw a punch at him, which connected with his face, giving him a split lip. _I can't give up knowing that Zack is searching for me somewhere_,_ and the one man who could possibly tell me where he went is just three floors away. _

I had managed to beat down two of the warriors before my illness got the better of me. Now the third warrior stood in front of me, ready to strike again. He ran toward me, both of his hands clenched into fists. I caught both of them, and he tried to push me back with all of his strength. I fought back as best as I could until a sharp pain pricked at my stomach and I was forced to let go of one of his hands to clutch my stomach. He took this opportunity to send my flying straight into the back wall. I hit it with a resounding thud and crumpled to the floor. Tifa ran to my side.

"Cloud," She asked, obviously worried, "what's wrong?" I tried to speak but the pain got worse. Tifa pressed the back of her hand to my forehead and gasped when she withdrew it. "You're burning up, Cloud." I winced when her voice suddenly became angry. "How long have you been hiding the fact that you had a fever?" she questioned. I tried to speak, but nothing came out except for a groan. The pain got worse and my head started throbbing. I tried to hide the tears as they squeezed their way out of my eyes, but from the look on Tifa's face, it was no use. My opponent came up and kneeled down beside me.

"Did I do that?" he asked pointing at my weak form lying on the ground.

"No," Tifa said, "not all of it at least. He has a fever and I think it's getting worse." She grabbed the backpack and took the thermometer out. After examining the red line of mercury carefully she announced that my temperature was roughly one hundred and three degrees. It wasn't as bad a last time, but it could get worse really quickly if not taken care of.

Suddenly I heard the door open, and I could just barely make out three figures standing in the doorway. One of them I recognized in a heartbeat. Though it was blurry, his raven black hair stood out like a beacon. I held my breath, not daring to breath his name for fear that this might be a cruel illusion.

Zack.

"Tifa," He spoke in a panicked voice although he was looking at me. "What happened to Cloud?"

"He has a fever again." Tifa said urgently while fishing in the backpack to get something out. I saw Zack's shocked expression as he moved over to where I was.

"How bad is it?" He asked, stroking my hair.

"Not as bad as last time-" She started as soon as she had pulled out the cloth she was looking for. Zack held up a hand to cut her off.

"Last time?" He said, anger evident in his voice, "you mean it's been worse!" Tifa flinched at this comment and looked over at Aerith who was trying to comfort me by massaging my free hand. She nodded and Tifa took a deep breath before telling Zack the words that he probably didn't want to hear.

"Cloud almost died of a fever."

**Zack PoV**

The news came as a complete shock. For a while I was frozen in place until I felt Cloud's head move under my hand. Tifa was holding his head up so that she could put the cloth, which was now wet, on his forehead.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" I asked in disbelief. Then I heard Aerith speak.

"We didn't want you to get angry" She said timidly.

"Aerith," I managed to say through the lump that was forming in my throat. "You knew about this?" She nodded.

"As a matter of fact," she said, "It happened in my church."

It was hard to believe that Aerith would keep such an important secret from me. I looked over at Cloud. My hand gripped his shoulder now. I tried not to squeeze it out of anger and cause my friend more pain. I noticed that the red on his cheeks turned into a light pink. Tifa seemed to notice too.

She took out the thermometer and stuck it in Cloud's mouth. I felt her sigh with relief. She announced that his fever had gone down to one hundred and one degrees and I let out the breath I had been holding. Just then I heard somebody come down the stairs and I heard a loud voice.

"A SOLDIER in my pagoda!" he boomed angrily. "When I get my hands on them I'm going to-" Then I heard a high-pitched voice cut him off.

"But, daddy" she said, "this SOLDIER is my friend"

"I don't care Yuffie!" he said, "he's still a SOLDIER."

I saw them coming down the stairs. One was tall and powerful looking, and the other one I recognized as Yuffie. I guessed that the tall male was Yuffie's father, Lord Godo.

"They don't work for ShinRa anymore!" Yuffie cried. Then her father looked at me. I was in my SOLDIER uniform, and I had the Buster Sword firmly strapped to my back. Then he looked at Cloud. He was still lying on the floor and still had the symptoms of a fever. Because he was dressed in normal clothes he looked like a regular civilian. The man got even angrier than before, and he walked in my direction.

"You, SOLDIER," he nearly shouted as he pointed at me, "did you do any harm to this civilian?" He asked, this time looking at Cloud.

I tried to reason with him; to tell him calmly that I was not the cause of Cloud's unfortunate condition, but he would not listen. His hatred of SOLDIER burned with an intense fury that made him blind to any reason.

"Look," I tried to say, "I wouldn't harm him. He is my best friend."

"SOLDIERS have no friends" he argued "They're just ShinRa's puppets!" After several more explanations and several more angry responses, I couldn't take it anymore.

"He had a fever!" I shouted "Cloud's lucky to be alive! He's been through stuff that normal people would die from!" I covered my mouth, realizing that I had made a mistake in telling him Cloud's name. His expression turned into one of curiosity.

"Cloud huh?" He said. "And I'm guessing that he's with SOLDIER too, right?"

I nodded. It was no use hiding the truth from the king of Wutai. He would find out sooner or later. I felt really bad for letting Cloud's name slip, especially to somebody as important as Lord Godo. He might have heard something about Cloud.

"So, what kind of stuff happened to him?" he asked, genuinely curious. I could see Yuffie looking over his shoulder. Obviously, she was also curious.

I looked over at Cloud who was sitting with his back against the wall. He met my eyes and shook his head lightly. I nodded at him and turned back to Lord Godo and his daughter. I shook my head at them.

"I can't give you that information" I said simply. Godo's expression turned back to one of anger.

"Why not?" he asked, "Tell me, SOLDIER 2nd class Zack Fair, veteran of the Wutai war!"

I was shocked speechless. Lord Godo knew my name! He probably knew it all along. That might explain why he was so mad at me. Godo's expression became furious, and he was shaking with anger. Yuffie tried to calm him down, but it was no use. He pointed his finger at me and yelled in fury.

"You killed dozens of my men and you injured several more!" He continued on, "You met my daughter and she couldn't stop talking about you. She said that one day she'll be able to beat up tough SOLDIER guys like you." He huffed. "Then she met you on missions, and you got her into trouble-"

"Wait a minute, I interrupted "I didn't get her into trouble, she decided to go wandering off into dangerous places by herself!" Godo looked over at his daughter.

"It's true," she said, like a little puppy being scolded by her master, "I wandered off to look for materia when I was young and I got into trouble. Zack saved me on several occasions and I never thanked him for it."

"No thanks necessary," I replied although the question was not directed at me. I gave her a reassuring smile and looked over at Godo. He looked like he was making a decision. He had to choose whether to trust his daughter or his SOLDIER hating instincts. He looked up at me and then down to Cloud.

"I heard about you two," he said "SOLDIER 1st class Zack Fair and ShinRa grunt Cloud Strife." His eyes lingered on the feverish Cloud before returning to me. "So," he concluded, "how come you two are alive?"

I glanced at Aerith, then at Tifa and finally at Cloud. I took a deep breath before speaking. "Our death was a cover-up," I admitted, "so that we could be guinea pigs in Hojo's latest experiment" I felt sick just saying Hojo's name. I continued on, telling him about some of the things that happened. I left out some things about Cloud, like the fact that he gets Jenova attacks, but I told him that Cloud defeated the great Sephiroth himself.

"Alright," Godo replied, "I'll let you stay, but first you have to pass a challenge to see if you truly do hate ShinRa."

I heard Cloud start to say something, but he held it back. I kneeled beside him and looked up at Godo.

"May I please stay a few days until my friend feels better?" I asked.

"Very well," he replied, "But you have to report to me when the sun rises three days from now for your challenge."

**A/N: **Sorry this chappie is late! I'm a bad procrastinator. The Wutai scenes are hard to work on because they were boring. This is by far the longest chapter I have written (12 pages!) and my fav part to write was defiantly the nightmare scene. I like putting Cloud in positions like that. I am also going to redo the first chapter and make it longer. I am so sorry if Lord Godo is out of character. I don't really know his personality very much. I also apologize if Yuffie was too serious in this chapter. I usually don't do the Wutai side quest because I am afraid that I would lose all my materia. I hate fighting without materia x.x Also I apologize for the lack of Aerith and Tifa PoVs in this chapter. I thought that Cloud and Zack would be best for this chapter and I love writing their PoVs! Until next chapter, Goodbye! :3


	10. Finale

**A/N: **Finally! Chapter 10 is here. This is the last chapter for this story. I am going to start a sequel that includes the events of Final Fantasy VII. I also revised Chapter 1 if anybody wants to check on that. Special thanks to **Chibipinkbunny **for all of her help with this story and my new one. Anyway_ this_ means thought, this means writing, and _this_ means singing. Now on to the story!

**Chapter 10: Finale **

**Zack's PoV**

We spent three days in an empty house on the outskirts of Wutai. Lord Godo still didn't trust us, and he didn't want us here, even if it was just for three days. On the first day, I sent the girls into town to buy supplies while I stayed behind and watched Cloud. The house was small, with just one room and a bathroom, hardly enough for four people to share. The couch was against the northern wall and the bed was right next to it, against the eastern wall. Cloud was fast asleep on that bed, still whimpering a little in his sleep.

I used this time to think of the possible task Godo had in store for us. One thing was sure. No matter how strong I was I couldn't fight alone. _Tifa might be able to help_, I thought, but I had no idea if she even had a weapon._ Aerith was defiantly not going to participate in this battle. It was way too dangerous for her. Yuffie probably couldn't help us much. After all she is only a kid. That only left…._ My thoughts trailed off as I looked over at Cloud. He still looked sick with a pink tinge on his cheeks. I could teach him a little in the few days that we've been allowed to stay here, but he would need a weapon. I know, I passed a weapon shop on my way to the pagoda. Maybe, if he feels better tomorrow, I'll take Cloud over there and we can get him a sword. One that is easy to wield, but not so light it can't cut through flesh.

The next day I visited the weapon-smith and found the perfect sword for him. It had a nice, sharp blade and was just light enough for him to carry with out much effort. Then I started to teach him how to fight. He already knew some techniques from when he was in the military, but I taught him some SOLDIER level moves so that he was prepared for whatever Godo threw at us. It was like that for the rest of the day and the next. All we did was train. It helped get our mind off of things. I went easy on him at first, but as we trained, I almost found myself having trouble keeping up with him. He had enhanced strength like me due to the Jenova cells that were injected into him.

Halfway through our training on the second day, I dug through my backpack and found my DMW watch. It looked like a regular watch, except that there was a sensor on the inside, which connected with my brain waves to produce limit breaks. I couldn't get one for Cloud because they're only available to SOLDIER members.

Soon, it was time to report to Godo's pagoda for his challenge. We were given a brief summary of the task by Lord Godo himself. It didn't sound too difficult, but Lord Godo warned us that his task was harder than it looked. He was going to give Cloud and I a half hour in town to gather the materials that we needed.

I went into the weapon shop and came out with two smooth, metallic balls that I had purchased. I stuck them in my pocket and readjusted the backpack on my shoulder before continuing to look for supplies. When we were done, we went back to the pagoda. Tifa argued with Godo about not being able to come with us, but he stood firm in his belief that women were not allowed to participate in dangerous tasks. Cloud and I were supposed to do it alone. Cloud tried to calm Tifa down.

"But Cloud, I'm worried about you." She said, "That's why I wanted to help"

"I'll be fine." Cloud assured her.

"That's what you said last time," Tifa argued, "and look what happened"

"This time I mean it" Cloud said to her "I'll be fine" She nodded.

After assuring Aerith and Tifa that we'd return alive and in one piece, we were finally ready to go. Godo let us borrow two of his yellow chocobos to get us to our destination quickly. We said goodbye to the girls and then left.

Our mission was to destroy a ShinRa robot terrorizing a nearby village. Apparently the robot went haywire and went on a rampage. Some of the villagers said that they had seen it head into a cave. We were supposed to defeat it and bring back a chunk of it as proof of our victory. A desert and perilous cliffs surrounded the village. It was barren, reminding me of the wastelands near Midgar. We had to walk on foot whenever the Chocobo's were tired. We came close to falling off the cliffs several times because of that. One time I actually slipped off the edge, but Cloud reached out and grabbed me at the last moment. We only took a rest when we felt like our legs were so cramped and sore they were going to fall off. It took four long and agonizing days to get to the gigantic cave where the monster was last seen. It was carved into the side of the cliff and the walls were decorated with elaborate sculptures that looked ancient. It looked as if it had been inhabited by some creature of long ago. This robot must have found it empty and taken up residence.

"Wow," I breathed, "Cloud, come look at this." I touched a sculpture of the planet that looked like the real thing. "This sculpture must be thousands of years old. How did people know what the earth looked like back then?" I traced my fingers across the strangely shaped continents. They were closer together than they were now, the product of continental drift. Then I felt Cloud tap my shoulder.

"Come over here," he said as he backed away. I went and stood right next to him. On the very top of the cave, there were two beautifully designed sculptures. The first one didn't look human. She had long silver hair twisted around her nude form. She was holding a ball of darkness in her hand, and her eyes were closed, as if the world was too abominable for her sight. She was the sworn enemy of the ancients, Jenova. The other deity I didn't recognize. She wore a long, flowing dress, and she had a spear and shield. She had angel wings coming out of her back, and her hands were clasped together in prayer. There was an aura surrounding her, as if she radiated goodness.

"Wow…" was all that I could say. Both sculptures were designed with exquisite detail, as if the artist had actually seen both forms in the flesh. _Perhaps someone that lived long ago_, I thought. Then it came to me. "The Ancients" I mumbled.

"What was that?" Cloud asked,

"The Ancients made these sculptures," I stated. "Aerith's ancestors made these."

"That makes sense," Cloud said, "considering Jenova is their enemy." I nodded and continued staring at the sculpture in amazement. From off in the distance, the sound of metal hitting the ground snapped me out of my trance. Then I remembered the task that Lord Godo gave us.

"Let's go," I told Cloud as I drew my Buster Sword. Cloud nodded and grasped his sword firmly with both of his hands, holding it out in front of him. I put the base of my sword to my forehead in a silent prayer to Angeal. Then I ran into the cave. We spotted the machine immediately. It was a scorpion mech, but unlike most this one was enormous. It filled half of the cave and we must have looked like nothing but measly insects to it. Cloud and I immediately ran toward it and slashed into it with our swords at the same time.

Nothing happened.

We tried again, but our swords couldn't even penetrate the surface. "We didn't even dent it!" I heard Cloud yell. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the monster preparing to fire its tail laser. Quickly, I grabbed Cloud and jumped behind one of the many big rocks that littered the ground. As soon as the laser cleared Cloud sprang into action. I started to run, but then I heard a faint sound from my watch. It said 'modulating phase'. Surprisingly enough, the modulating phase encompassed both me and Cloud.

Cloud enhanced my sword with his power. I leapt up in the air towards the monster and unleashed a barrage of meteors with a swing of my sword. That seemed to do some damage to the Scorpion mech.

Then I saw a bright yellow dot on the machine. It was Cloud. He was climbing the machine. It seemed to notice too because it readied its tail laser and pointed it at Cloud. I had to do something to get its attention. Without thinking, I ran up to it and started hitting it with my Buster Sword. It turned to look at me, raised one of its mechanical arms, and slashed my left shoulder; the one that Yuffie's doctor had just finished patching up. Then he pointed his laser at me and fired. I ducked behind a rock just in the nick of time. I could feel the laser's scorching heat as it came within an inch of my arm. Dark spots were starting to cloud my vision. I fought against the exhaustion that was starting to overtake me. I tried to overcome the pain, and I tried to ignore the blood that was leaking out of my shoulder. With shaking hands, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the two metallic spheres. I stood up slowly and peeked over the rock.

"Cloud," I shouted, as loud as I could to get his attention "Catch!" I threw the orbs with my right arm as hard as I could, and I watched as Cloud caught them. I struggled to pick up my Buster Sword and jump back into the fray, but I was too weak. I slipped and fell into the sand and struggled to fight against the all-consuming pain was trying to consume me. I put my right hand on my shoulder to keep the blood from leaking out, but it was no use. I started to feel dizzy and my vision became blurred. I tried to get up, but my legs wouldn't let me. I knew I had to help my friend, but I couldn't. Eventually my vision faded all together and I fainted.

**Cloud PoV **

I saw the whole thing, Zack getting hit by the razor-sharp mechanical claw and the subsequent struggle as he tried to pick up his sword. He fell to the ground and didn't get up. I desperately wanted to help him, but I was the only one who could finish the mission now. I glanced at the metallic ball in my hand before continuing my ascent up the mountain of a machine. It pointed its deadly tail-laser at me again, but I moved to the side and it ended up firing on itself, leaving a gigantic hole in the place where its stomach would be if it had one. I climbed and climbed for what seemed like an eternity until I finally got to its head. By then it was pretty weak. It had several holes in it and it looked more like Swiss cheese than a machine.

I looked around for the power box and found it where the scorpion's left ear was, so I grabbed my sword and pried the lid off. Once the lid gave way, I took out the metallic ball and pressed a button on its surface. I heard a whirring and the two half's of the sphere came apart revealing a thin rod coursing with electricity. I took off one end of the sphere and held the rod with the other end. Then I jump in the air and threw the device into the monster's power box. The scorpion brimmed with electricity and fell to the ground. It was destroyed. I fell toward the ground and managed to land on my feet. Then I started walking toward Zack, but I stopped and went over to the machine's forehead. There was the ShinRa logo. I took my sword and cut it out. It was about as big as my head. Then I ran over to Zack.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the horrible condition Zack was in. Blood was pouring out of his shoulder, mixing with the sand that lined the cave floor. It reminded me of the dream I had when I first arrived in Wutai. Thinking quickly, I left the cave and grabbed the backpack. When I returned, Zack was lying on his side. He had never looked so vulnerable; so weak. I pulled out one of the blankets and cut off a nice long piece. Then I wrapped it around Zack's shoulder. Zack was my role model. He was like a hero to me, but I guess even heroes have the right to bleed.

I picked Zack up and slung him over my shoulder. It was as if we had switched roles at the moment. Usually Zack was the one to take care of me, but now it was the other way around. I heard him give a groan of pain as I draped him across the back of one of the chocobos. Then I took the other one and tied a rope to its saddle and I attached the other end to Zack's chocobo. I decided that I would have to walk back to Wutai. It would take a long time, but at least Zack wouldn't fall off the chocobo. I took one long glance at Zack's broken form before setting off. It took me seven days to get relatively close to Wutai because we stopped often to rest. By then I had reached a path that went along a cliff.

And that's where everything went wrong.

I stopped for a moment to catch my breath, and then I heard a rustle in the bushes that dotted the path. I stared hard into the bushes, trying to figure out what or who was following me. But all the worries about my pursuer were soon gone because a sharp pain in my stomach forced me to my knees. My heart started beating fast and I could hear a dark, feminine voice echo in my head. "Give up," it said, "let me take control."

"No!" I cried clutching my head. I squeezed my head tight and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to break free. I tried to keep myself together, but the voice kept repeating those words over and over. Jenova was trying to control me. I glanced behind me at Zack. He was conscious.

I heard him emit a loud groan. His hand was outstretched like the only thing he wanted to do was to grab onto me and never let go. I knew he was frustrated because he couldn't do anything to help me.

Then the searing pain came again, only this time in my head. I clutched my head and shook it in an attempt to rid it of the voice that plagued my thoughts. It didn't work. Instead the voice got louder. Then it stopped for a moment.

"Very well," she said, "you have chosen your own fate." Those words were painfully familiar. Those were the same words that Sephiroth said to me in the nightmare that I had just a few days ago. Only it was Zack's fate that I had chosen. I felt myself losing control over my body. I heard the bushes rustle again, but I paid no mind to it. Jenova was making me stand up, and she made me lower my hands from my head. Slowly, I walked toward the gaping cliff.

"No!" I cried, "No," I knew what was going to happen next. If Jenova couldn't make me her willing puppet, then she had no use for me. I held my breath as we got closer to the cliff. I tried with all of my might to break out of Jenova's grasp, but my strength was failing me. Soon I found myself stepping off the cliff and plummeting downward, but the sensation lasted only a few seconds, until I felt a hand grab onto mine. I looked up. It was the last person I ever expected to save me. It was that whiny ninja brat, Yuffie. She pulled me up and laid me on the ground, but the danger was far from over. I was breathing heavily, and I was sweating all over. I saw Yuffie go over to Zack.

"What happened?" Yuffie asked, warily eying Zack's shoulder. I knew that if Zack could answer he would have. Instead, he looked over at me, his exhausted eyes never leaving my side. Gaia knows what pain he was in, both physically and emotionally.

"We were no match for that mechanical monster." I said hoarsely, "it took Zack down with one swipe of its claw."

"What?" Yuffie asked, "that's impossible."

"It was huge," I said, "a whole battalion of SOLDIER members couldn't take it down." She stood up and went over to my chocobo. She took a piece of metal off its back that had the ShinRa logo on it.

"Then how come you did?" She asked, showing me the metal square.

"I couldn't have done it without Zack." I admitted, "he's the real hero." Then I erupted into a coughing fit. After swallowing a big mouthful of air, I took shallows breaths so avoid coughing again.

"Yuffie…" I heard a familiar voice whisper. Yuffie walked over to him.

"What?" she asked, "do you need to patch you up?" Zack shook his head.

"Don't w-worry about me…," he said, "t-take Cloud b-back to Wutai…" Yuffie looked shocked by Zack's request. After all, he looked like he was in worse shape than I currently was.

"But," she said, "what about you?"

"Leave... me... here," Zack said, each word between gasping breaths. Yuffie looked on the brink of tears. She knew this was a serious matter. I knew she couldn't bear to leave Zack there, just like I wouldn't be able to if I was in her position. "Listen…," Zack said, stumbling over his words, "I've seen this before… If C-Cloud has a fever… after a Jenova attack…, chances are t-there's going… to be a-another one." Yuffie glanced from me to Zack, then back to me again. "Y-You need… to get him… to s-safety," he said in a hoarse voice. "It's like… the calm b-before the s-storm… or the pause… before t-the aftershock" Zack explained. "P-Please," he pleaded, "he could die."

Yuffie nodded solemnly and started to pick me up, but I fought against her grasp. Nothing was going to separate me from my best friend, not even a whiny little princess ninja. I fought like I had never fought before, and Yuffie had to struggle to keep her grip on me. I opened my mouth and bit her arm.

"OW!" she exclaimed. "What was that for?" I ignored her as I crawled over to my friend. I reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Cloud," I heard him say, "You…you have to get away from here."

"No, Zack," was my reply. "I'm not leaving you here."

"But, you… could die," he said, tear's flowing out of his eyes.

"Zack," I said "We're not going to die. We're going to make it out together."

"B-But, if it… if it w-weren't for me, you… would n-never be… in t-this m-mess in the… first place," he sighed, "m-maybe… it would b-be better… if we were n-never friends."

"Don't say that," I commanded, "I'm glad we're friends"

"But-" he started.

"Zack, I'm not leaving you."

"I'll be… alright," he said, "d-don't… worry about me, I-I've… suffered worse." He groaned as he tried to readjust his body on the saddle of the chocobo. I knew that he had suffered worse, much worse. We had endured four years of torture at the hands of that crazy mad-scientist, Hojo. Surely if Zack could survive that, he could survive anything, right?

"What about Aerith?" I pleaded with him, "How do you think she'll feel when she find's out that you're…." I trailed off. Not even daring to say the word. That seemed to hit a soft spot because Zack now had a pained look on his face.

"One life… in exchange… for another," Zack muttered. "You need… to live Cloud."

"But, I can't leave you here," I said to Zack, "you've done so much for me."

"I'm sorry… that I couldn't protect you.., Cloud," he continued, " You're… like this… because of… me."

"Quit blaming yourself already!" I shouted, "It's my fault that your shoulder got hurt."

"No, Cloud…" he said, his voice fading, "you were very brave… and I'm proud… of you." He fell unconscious after these words. My hand let go of his.

"I have an idea," Yuffie said, abruptly, and she picked me up and put me next to Zack. She put my arm around Zack. "Hold on tight," she said, and I wrapped my arm around Zack. Then she got on my chocobo, and with a flick of the reins, she sent the chocobo racing off. It ran at a really fast pace. We had only gotten a few miles when my grip started to loosen. I tried to hold on to him, but I felt my grip slipping by the minute. Eventually, it gave way, and Zack fell off the chocobo. He landed on the ground with a sharp thud. It looked like he landed on his left shoulder.

"Zack!" I shouted. Yuffie stopped the chocobo, and motioned to get off, but Zack emitted a loud groan and spooked the chocobos. They both ran off, leaving Zack behind.

"I'm sorry Cloud," I heard Zack moan before I was out of hearing range. I couldn't leave him, but I had no choice, I was too weak to do anything and Yuffie was frantically trying to get the chocobos to stop. Images of the moments I've spent with Zack flashed through my head.

"_We're friends right?" _

_"Same old Cloud. Always keeping to himself, hiding his feelings away in a little box and never opening it up. You need to learn to open up to other people, Cloud. Whether it is me or Tifa or even Aerith, you need to learn that it's ok to feel sad, or embarrassed, or even loved."_

_"Cloud and Tifa sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-"_

_"Hang in there buddy."_

_"SOLDIER is supposed to board this ship to Wutai where we have a very important _mission._ And the President says that my friends don't have to do any work."_

_"What's the matter Spiky? Did you have a bad dream?"_

_"Look, I wouldn't harm him. He is my best friend."_

"_One life… in exchange… for another. You need… to live Cloud"_

"_No, Cloud…you were very brave… and I'm proud… of you." _

"Zack…," I whispered to myself, "I will never forget you." I closed my eyes, "never." I felt my whole body go heavy with weariness, and I welcomed it, hoping it would allow me to escape from reality.

**Aerith's PoV**

I was so worried. It had already been three days since they were supposed to be back. I paced around the entrance to our little shack. A million questions buzzed through my head. _What if Zack died? What if they didn't complete the mission? What if Zack got into trouble and couldn't get out? _Those questions were driving me insane. Zack had to come back today or I could only assume the worst. After spending four years of my life waiting for his return, I'd finally gotten him back. Now he was gone. I didn't want to lose him again. Not after I had tried so hard to find him.

I noticed a yellow speck on the horizon. My heart fluttered with excitement as I thought of my knight-in-shining-armor, Zack, returning to me, arms wide open, ready to carry me into the sunset.

But those were just whimsical fantasies. I used to get lost in them all the time while waiting for Zack. My heart felt like it had dropped to the floor when I got a closer look at the chocobos. The first thing I noticed was that Zack wasn't on it, and the other thing I noticed was that it was being driven by… Yuffie? She looked very distraught. Cloud was on the back chocobo, he also looked upset. I ran up to her.

"Yuffie, where's Zack?" She looked like she was holding back tears. She looked at me, then at Cloud, and then looked away. Her voice sounded labored, as if she was struggling to speak.

"It…" she started, trailing off. "It was HORRIBLE," she whined. "There was so much blood coming out of his shoulder." She paused for a while to compose herself. Then she said the words I never wanted to hear in my entire life.

"I think Zack is dead."

"No…," I whispered, unable to believe it, "he can't be"

"He sacrificed his life for Cloud's," Yuffie sobbed, letting tears run down her cheeks. I fell to my knees, consumed by grief.

"Aerith!" I heard Tifa yell. She kneeled next to me and patted my back.

"I can't… believe… he's gone," I said through sobs.

"Aerith," Tifa said, "I know you're upset about Zack, but right now we have to worry about Cloud." I nodded and stood up. I was still shaking and my eyes burned as hot tears continued to trail down my cheeks. Tifa walked over and picked Cloud up, holding him in her arms like a baby. I could tell he was a little too heavy for Tifa, so I rushed over to help her. I took his feet while Tifa held him by his arms. Then we headed inside. Gently, we set him down on the only bed in the house, and Tifa searched for the thermometer. She took his temperature and gasped as she saw the reading.

Tifa looked up at me, panicked, and said, "One -hundred and five degrees. This is not good."

**Cloud's PoV**

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a bed. I was sweating profusely and I was still taking shallow breaths. My body ached horribly, like I'd been run over by a truck, and every joint burned like it was on fire. Over in one of the corners of the small, familiar shed that we called our temporary home, I could hear somebody crying. I turned my head in that direction to see Aerith sobbing and Tifa standing next to her.

"Zack," she said, before wiping her eyes with a tissue. I guessed that Yuffie had told her about Zack. I held onto the hope that he wasn't dead, but there was no way that someone could survive in a desert like that without any food or water. I turned away from Aerith and got lost in my own thoughts. Zack was more than a friend to me. He was my role model, mentor, best friend, and hero. We've been through more in a few years than most friends have been through in a lifetime. The only reason that I survived that horrifying lair was because Zack was always by my side. No matter how bad things were, seeing Zack's friendly face would always make things a little bit better.

My thoughts wandered to my nightmare. _Very well, you have chosen your friend's fate. _Those words were stuck in my head. _Could I be the reason Zack died? _I thought. _Could it have been my fault?_ I knew that it was just a dream, but it was so realistic. Maybe it was just an illusion created by Jenova. No, it was too real. I could see the pain in Zack's eyes as they closed forever. Slowly, a song entered my thoughts; it reminded me of Zack. I closed my eyes and got lost in the lyrics, trying to drown out any other thoughts.

_Bright eyes,  
Burning like fire.  
Bright eyes,  
How can you close and fail  
How can the light that burned so brightly  
Suddenly burn so pale?  
Bright eyes._

I thought about all that Zack had been through. He risked his life for me on several occasions, he helped me through many fevers, and he would always help me when I was in trouble. Zack was the kind of guy that could brighten your day by just being there. When he smiled, you can't help but smile too.

He changed after the experiments. They ripped out his puppy-like innocence and replaced it with something horrible, but there were some things that didn't change. He was selfless when it came to his friends, and his smile was still contagious, whenever he did smile. Zack was a really good person, and he didn't deserve to die.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pricked my forehead, causing me to cry out. Tifa was at my side in seconds.

"What's wrong?" She asked. I tried to answer but Jenova's voice invaded my thoughts.

"You're heart is heavy with loss," she said in her venomously sweet voice. "Join me and you could reunite with your friend." I thought about it, but I saw three worried pairs of eyes peering down at me. Knowing her, she was probably playing a trick on me.

"No," I replied, determined.

"Very well," she said, "let's see how long you last without your friend." The pain in my head intensified causing me to clutch it with both hands. I curled myself in a tight ball and squeezed my knees against my chest, trying to make myself as small as possible. The pain grew until I could hear a high pitched screeching noise. I yelled in pain as I gripped my head. I felt like it was going to explode. I felt Tifa reach a hand in my pocket and she looked surprised when she didn't find anything. She checked my other pocket and exclaimed in frustration.

"Where is the blizzard materia!" She yelled. Yuffie pulled something out of her pocket and gave it to Tifa. She gave the ninja a disapproving look before heading over to the small sink in the corner of the room. Aerith pulled out the remaining strip that was left of the blanket and put cold water on it. Then she folded it and put it on my forehead. I emitted a groan of displeasure when the damp cloth touched me. My skin prickled with a cold sweat, and I just squeezed my eyes shut and hoped that this was another nightmare.

It wasn't.

I could faintly hear Tifa start to sing to me, but this time it wouldn't work. Jenova was determined to win. I knew that she wouldn't stop until I gave in. Sure that would be easy, but I learned from Zack that the easiest way is not always the right way. I would have to endure the pain for him. I felt the back of my skull start to burn and my stomach started aching. I let out a painful cry when the screeching started up again. I could no longer hear Tifa singing in the background. All sound was blocked by that horrible screeching.

I wished that Zack was here, he would know what to do. I felt my hand being pulled, and I looked to my side. There I saw Aerith. She had my hand in hers and was rubbing it. Normally it would feel soothing, but it burned this time. I tugged my hand away from her and held it close to me. I felt cold, so very cold. Combined with everything else, the ice was almost more than I could bear. I kicked wildly, trying to get the burning ice off of me, but it wouldn't budge. Jenova made sure that all other methods that usually cured me were invalid. Then the terrible screeching stopped, and Tifa had stopped singing. I heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door "Hey Spike, did I miss anything?" He sounded very weak and tired.

"Zack…" I whispered. I knew this could just be a cruel illusion made by Jenova to cause me more pain. I tried to move, but I found that I was so firmly packed in ice that I couldn't. Aerith looked like she was about to cry.

"Could it really be him?" she asked. Her emerald eyes looked red and puffy from crying so much. He continued speaking. "Are you alright in there?" he asked "Can somebody please open the door?"

Tifa finally broke out of the trance she was in and unlocked the door. Zack must have been using the door as a support because as soon as the door was opened Zack fell into Tifa. She stumbled backwards and almost crashed into the couch. Aerith walked over to Tifa, who was trying to hold up the broken figure of a man.

"Zack," she exclaimed as she pulled him into a gentle hug. "I knew you weren't dead!" He let out a groan of pain even though it was a light hug.

"I'm getting close," Zack groaned, then he looked up at Aerith, "can you help me stand up?" he asked. Aerith nodded and wrapped one of her arms around Zack, slowly pulling him upward until he was on his feet. I could see that he was biting his lip to try and hold back a complaint. Then he collapsed near my bed.

My vision became blurry all of a sudden and I didn't know why. I squeezed my eyes closed and gave a loud groan as the overpowering screeching noise started up again. I heard Zack mumble something to me, but couldn't make it out, and then he turned to Tifa and said something to her. I frantically tried to kick the burning coldness off of me and Zack seemed to notice how frustrated I was. The blurry figure that I assumed to be Zack, grabbed at the ice, trying to get it off me, but he was too weak. I closed my eyes and moments later, I felt the coldness cease. Then I felt something brush against my cheek.

I opened my eyes and saw the blurry form of Zack. It looked like he was using the bed to hold himself up. Aerith was right next to him, looking just as worried as he was. Then Zack reached out his hand like he wanted to ruffle my hair. I saw his lips move but no words came out. Then I closed my eyes and a few minutes later I felt something warm pressing against me. When I opened my eyes I meant another pair of eyes that were the same bright blue that mine were.

Slowly the pain eased. Jenova might have found my weakness and may have used it against me, but there are some things that she couldn't change. Even though I couldn't hear Zack, his presence was enough to calm me. Slowly, I could feel my temperature dropping and the burning at the back of my skull subsided. The mental fog started to lift.

"It's alright, buddy," I heard Zack whisper. I could see a little smile working its way onto his face. I couldn't help but return it with a small smile of own. It was only after the danger had passed that I realized how exhausted I was. I glanced from Zack to Aerith and then my eyes rested on Tifa for a few moments before I closed them and fell into a deep sleep.

**Zack PoV**

I was finally able to relax for the first time in eight days. I glanced over at Cloud, who was sleeping, then I turned over to look at Aerith. She looked into my deep blue eyes, an expression of confusion on her face.

"So, how did you survive?" she asked quietly. I had already guessed that Yuffie had told her about what happened to me. I reached out to her, and she took my hand.

"I'm an ex-SOLDIER, remember?" I chuckled, but Aerith looked serious. "Alright, if you must know, someone found me and was kind enough to help me out. He was a merchant who was going into Wutai to sell goods and he was glad to give me a lift and fix up my shoulder if I gave him all my gil."

"That doesn't sound very nice to me," Aerith pointed out.

"It was the only choice I had," I said. "I would have died if he hadn't found me,"

"Yea, you're right."

"Plus," I added, grinning "most of my gil was in the backpack anyway." Aerith let out a little chuckle.

"What are you too laughing about?" Tifa asked.

"Nothing," Aerith replied, and then she turned to me. "Gaia Zack, you scared me so bad." My smile turned into a frown.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," I said, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "It was the only thing I could think of." I paused, "I didn't know how long it would be until Cloud had another attack, and I didn't want him to…" I trailed off and looked into Aerith's eyes.

"I don't want to lose you, Zack" Aerith said.

"Don't worry, I'll always come back to you." I replied. Then we pulled into a kiss. When we pulled apart, I stole a glance back at Cloud, and then I looked at Aerith.

"It's not over yet." I said.

**A/N: **This is my favorite chapter so far. I'm thinking of making a sequel for this story, so watch for that. Anyway, the songs are "Bright Eyes" form the movie Watership Down and the band Simon and Garfunkel. There are virtual cookies for anyone who could tell me which chapters the Zack quotes are from. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't have the heart to kill Zack and I definitely can't kill Cloud. Anyway, check out my new story called "Saving me." That's about it so, Bye!


	11. Sequel!

Sorry for those who thought this was an update, but I just wanted to inform you that the sequel for Freedom is now up ^.^

Fanfiction .net / s / 6832201 / 1 / The_ Struggle_ for _Freedom

(With a www. at the begining and without the spaces)

Also, I will be posting this on my DeviantART sometime soon (AKA: as soon as I get around to it -_-)

anime fangirl 921 .deviantart .com /

(without spaces and with http:/ at the begining)

I'm sorry for how long it took for this sequel to come out, I hope I didn't lose any reviewers because of my procrastination. Oh, and my writing has gotten a lot better, but I'll let you judge that XD

and there's also going to be a newer, better written version of this story us soon (I just sent it to my beta) so keep your eyes open for that ^.^


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